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Latest World news news, comment and analysis from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:34:31 GMT2015-08-02T18:34:31Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Flight MH370: Malaysia appeals for help to widen searchhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/flight-mh370-debris-found-reunion-missing-plane
<p>Malaysian authorities appeal for help to find further wreckage after debris discovered last week confirmed as part of Boeing 777 </p><p></p><p>Malyasian authorities have appealed to territories near R&eacute;union, where debris believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was found, to assist in the search for more pieces of wreckage.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/flight-mh370-debris-found-reunion-missing-plane">Continue reading...</a>Malaysia Airlines flight MH370RéunionWorld newsMalaysiaFranceAsia PacificEuropeSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:49:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/flight-mh370-debris-found-reunion-missing-planePhotograph: Julien DelaruePolice on the island of Réunion, where debris believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 was found.Photograph: Julien DelaruePolice on the island of Réunion, where debris believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 was found.Julien Delarue in Réunion and Haroon Siddique2015-08-02T14:49:37ZIsrael to detain Jewish terror suspects without trialhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/israel-to-detain-west-bank-arson-attackers-without-trial
<p>Decision comes as thousands of Israelis protest against radicalised fringe after deaths of Palestinian toddler and Israeli teenager<br></p><p>Israel has announced it intends to detain Jewish terror suspects without trial as the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, came under pressure to respond to the deaths in separate attacks of a Palestinian toddler and Israeli teenager. </p><p>Thousands of Israeli people took to the streets over the weekend to warn against a radicalised and violent fringe growing within the country, following the arson attack on a Palestinian family home in the West Bank by extremists and the stabbing of six people at a Jerusalem Gay Pride march <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/up-to-six-stabbed-at-gay-pride-march-in-jerusalem">by a suspect identified as an ultra-Orthodox Jew</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/israel-to-detain-west-bank-arson-attackers-without-trial">Continue reading...</a>IsraelMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsPalestinian territoriesBinyamin NetanyahuSun, 02 Aug 2015 15:29:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/israel-to-detain-west-bank-arson-attackers-without-trialPhotograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty ImagesIsraelis take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv against the death of 18-month-old Ali Dawabsha, the toddler who was burned to death by suspected Jewish extremists.Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty ImagesIsraelis take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv against the death of 18-month-old Ali Dawabsha, the toddler who was burned to death by suspected Jewish extremists.Mairav Zonszein in Tel Aviv2015-08-02T15:29:34ZDonald Trump backlash intensifies within GOP ahead of first 2016 debatehttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/donald-trump-republican-debate-rnc
<ul><li>Mogul leads NBC national poll and hints again at possible third-party run<br></li><li>Candidates fire broadsides and RNC chair defends debate participation limits</li></ul><p>Amid growing rancour among Republican presidential candidates ahead of their <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/republican-party-us-presidential-candidates-debate">crowded first debate</a> on Thursday, current frontrunner Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to consider running as an independent if he was not “treated fairly” by the party.<br /></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/01/fox-news-donald-trump-republican-debate">All eyes on Trump as Republican debate nears, but Fox will be the real winner</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/donald-trump-republican-debate-rnc">Continue reading...</a>US elections 2016US politicsRepublicansDonald TrumpRand PaulChris ChristieRick SantorumMike HuckabeeJeb BushUS newsWorld newsFox NewsMediaUS televisionSun, 02 Aug 2015 17:47:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/donald-trump-republican-debate-rncPhotograph: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty ImagesDan Roberts in Washington and Martin Pengelly in New York2015-08-02T17:47:45ZIran uses fabricated WikiLeaks cable to smear UN rights rapporteurhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/iran-fabricated-wikileaks-cable-smear-un-rights-rapporteur
<p>State-run agencies and semi-official websites run articles in effort to discredit Ahmed Shaheed</p><p>Iran has launched a sophisticated smear campaign against <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/05/iran-rapporteur-human-rights">the UN special rapporteur</a> investigating its human rights violations by widely spreading a fabricated WikiLeaks cable purporting to show he received bribes from Saudi Arabia.</p><p>In a concerted effort aimed at discrediting Ahmed Shaheed in the eyes of the general public, Iranian state-run agencies and semi-official websites simultaneously carried articles claiming that the Saudi embassy in Kuwait had paid the UN envoy $1m to take an anti-Iran position. It dominated many Iranian front pages on Tuesday and an Iranian official later used the false information to question Shaheed’s credibility.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/iran-fabricated-wikileaks-cable-smear-un-rights-rapporteur">Continue reading...</a>IranWorld newsMiddle East and North AfricaHuman rightsLawMediaWikiLeaksSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:51:53 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/iran-fabricated-wikileaks-cable-smear-un-rights-rapporteurPhotograph: University of EssexFormer Maldives foreign minister, Ahmed Shaheed, who is the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.Photograph: University of EssexFormer Maldives foreign minister, Ahmed Shaheed, who is the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran correspondent2015-08-02T16:51:53ZSouth Sudan to compete in Rio after becoming 206th Olympic nationhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/south-sudan-compete-rio-206th-olympic-nation
<p>‘We will stand by your side,’ Olympic committee president tells African nation at emotional acceptance ceremony</p><p>South Sudan has become the Olympic movement’s 206th member, crossing the final hurdle to competing at the 2016 Rio games.<br /></p><p>Sports leaders from South Sudan and Sudan, along with International Olympic Committee executive members, were emotional as the IOC accepted the country by acclaim at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/south-sudan-compete-rio-206th-olympic-nation">Continue reading...</a>South SudanOlympic Games 2016AfricaWorld newsOlympicsSportOlympic GamesSun, 02 Aug 2015 15:11:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/south-sudan-compete-rio-206th-olympic-nationPhotograph: Joshua Paul/APAgence France-Presse in Kuala Lumpur2015-08-02T15:11:48ZCanada to hold national election in major test for PM Stephen Harperhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/canada-national-election-stephen-harper
<ul><li>Prime minister faces career-defining battle after nine years in office<br></li><li>Harper says election will be about economy and keeping Canada safe</li></ul><p>The Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, on Sunday triggered a general election campaign, with the vote set for 19 October. Harper said on Sunday he had asked Canadian governor general David Johnson to dissolve parliament.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/canada-liberal-party-justin-trudeau-interview-election">Canada's Liberals face bleak future – is it too late for Justin Trudeau to save them?</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/canada-national-election-stephen-harper">Continue reading...</a>CanadaAmericasWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 15:54:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/canada-national-election-stephen-harperPhotograph: Lyle Stafford/ReutersCanadian prime minister Stephen Harper speaks during a news conference at FC WoodWorks in Winnipeg in April.John Barber in Toronto2015-08-02T15:54:32ZAnother lion was illegally killed by an American in April, Zimbabwe sayshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/02/cecil-lion-hunting-zimbabwe-american
<p>Though Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho remains alive – despite reports to the contrary – parks officials say American illegally bow-hunted another animal</p><p>Amid an international outcry over a US hunter accused of illegally killing a well-known lion named Cecil in early July, authorities in Zimbabwe alleged that a second American killed a lion in an illegal hunt with a bow and arrow several months ago.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/01/jericho-not-dead-cecil-the-lion-zimbabwe">Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho alive and well despite rumors, say researchers</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/02/cecil-lion-hunting-zimbabwe-american">Continue reading...</a>Cecil the lionZimbabweAnimalsWildlifeAfricaEnvironmentWorld newsUS newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 15:56:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/02/cecil-lion-hunting-zimbabwe-americanPhotograph: Will Burrard-Lucas / BarcroftAnother lion was killed by an American in April, Zimbabwean authorities say.Associated Press2015-08-02T15:56:13ZUS and Egypt resume formal security talks amid human rights concernshttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/us-egypt-resume-formal-security-talks-human-rights-concerns
<ul><li>‘Strategic dialogue’ put on hold in 2009 in wake of Arab Spring</li><li>Obama administration boosts aid to counter Egypt’s increased terror threat</li></ul><p>Despite persistent human rights concerns, the US on Sunday resumed formal security talks with Egypt that were last held six years ago. The talks were kept on hiatus amid the political unrest that swept the country in the wake of the Arab Spring.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-postpones-verdict-al-jazeera-peter-greste-mohamed-fahmy-baher-mohamed">Egypt court further postpones verdict in al-Jazeera journalists' retrial</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/us-egypt-resume-formal-security-talks-human-rights-concerns">Continue reading...</a>John KerryEgyptWorld newsUS foreign policyObama administrationUS newsMohamed MorsiAbdel Fatah al-SisiSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:18:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/us-egypt-resume-formal-security-talks-human-rights-concernsPhotograph: POOL/ReutersAssociated Press in Cairo2015-08-02T14:18:02ZGreece braces for busy day's trading as Athens stock market reopenshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/greece-athens-stock-market-reopens
<p>Shares expected to sell off sharply when trading in Greek stocks resumes on Monday after a five-week shutdown</p><p>Greek investors expect a tumultuous day’s trading when Athens’ stock market reopens on Monday after a five-week shutdown.</p><p>The resumption of trading in Greek stocks will be the latest step back towards economic normality, after the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, struck a deal with the country’s creditors to open talks on <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/25/greece-edges-closer-third-bailout-requests-imf-help">an €86bn (&pound;61bn) third bailout</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/greece-athens-stock-market-reopens">Continue reading...</a>Eurozone crisisGreeceEuropeWorld newsBusinessAlexis TsiprasSyrizaBankingEconomicsEuroCurrenciesEuropean Central BankEuropean UnionEuropean monetary unionSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:06:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/greece-athens-stock-market-reopensPhotograph: Orestis Panagiotou/EPAThe Greek stock market is set to reopen on Monday as talks continue with the country’s creditors on a new multi-billion-euro bailout.Heather Stewart2015-08-02T14:06:41ZBronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker, Tony Abbott announceshttp://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/brownyn-bishop-resigns-as-speaker-tony-abbott-announces
<p>Prime minister says scandal-hit Speaker called him to say she was quitting and that there would be a review of parliamentary expenses </p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/bronwyn-bishop-formidable-political-warrior-has-walked-a-rocky-road">Bronwyn Bishop: formidable political warrior who walked a rocky road</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/bronwyn-bishop-had-to-be-forced-out-but-some-good-may-come-of-the-scandal">Lenore Taylor: Bronwyn Bishop had to be forced out </a></li></ul><p>Bronwyn Bishop tendered her resignation as Speaker of the House to governor general Peter Cosgrove, following weeks of expenses scandals that had threatened to derail the government.</p><p>The prime minister, Tony Abbott, made the announcement on Sunday afternoon.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/brownyn-bishop-resigns-as-speaker-tony-abbott-announces">Continue reading...</a>Bronwyn BishopAustralian politicsAustralia newsCoalitionAustralian politicians' expensesLiberal partyTony AbbottSun, 02 Aug 2015 07:24:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/brownyn-bishop-resigns-as-speaker-tony-abbott-announcesPhotograph: Lukas Coch/AAPThe Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop, has quit.Shalailah Medhora2015-08-02T07:24:13ZAnti-doping agency 'alarmed' by claims of suspect testing by 800 athleteshttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/anti-doping-agency-suspect-testing-claims-800-athletes-olympics
<p>Report claims top athletes recorded blood tests described as ‘highly suggestive of doping or at the very least abnormal’</p><p>The <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/">World Anti-Doping Agency</a> (Wada) said it was “very alarmed” by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/athletics-facing-new-doping-crisis">claims that a third of Olympic and world championships medals</a>, including 55 golds, for endurance events were won by athletes who recorded suspicious doping tests.</p><p>The data, claimed to be represent the biggest leak of blood-test data, covers 12,000 tests from 5,000 athletes and was given to the <a href="http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/thedopingscandal/article1588427.ece">Sunday Times</a> and German broadcaster ARD by a whistleblower at the International Association of Athletics Federations.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/anti-doping-agency-suspect-testing-claims-800-athletes-olympics">Continue reading...</a>Drugs in sportAthleticsSportWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 08:20:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/anti-doping-agency-suspect-testing-claims-800-athletes-olympicsPhotograph: PA/PAHaroon Siddique and agencies2015-08-02T08:20:52ZMedia coverage of terrorism ‘leads to further violence’http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/01/media-coverage-terrorism-further-violence
Clear link claimed between reports of atrocities and follow-up attacks<p>Violence, so the saying goes, begets violence. Now evidence is emerging that suggests even the reporting of violence can trigger further attacks. Research has found that sensationalist media coverage of acts of terrorism results in more such acts being committed.</p><p>The study will prompt further debate about how the international media responds to atrocities. It also raises the possibility that media reports about a terrorist act can be viewed as a “warning” that follow-on attacks will be perpetrated in the near future.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/01/media-coverage-terrorism-further-violence">Continue reading...</a>MediaUK security and counter-terrorismUK newsWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 19:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/01/media-coverage-terrorism-further-violencePhotograph: /ReutersThe Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in January. Photograph: ReutersPhotograph: /ReutersThe Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in January. Photograph: ReutersJamie Doward2015-08-01T19:30:00ZBurundi's de facto internal security chief killed in rocket attack on carhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burundis-de-facto-internal-security-chief-killed-in-rocket-attack-on-car
<p>Gen Adolphe Nshimirimana, seen as regime’s No 2, assassinated week after President Nkurunziza declared election winner </p><p>A top Burundian general <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burundis-de-facto-internal-security-chief-killed-in-rocket-attack-on-car">was assassinated on Sunday</a> when his car was hit by rockets and raked with bullets, an audacious murder that could plunge the African nation into fresh conflict.</p><p>Adolphe Nshimirimana was arguably the most powerful man in Burundi after <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32490645">president Pierre Nkurunziza</a> and had been accused of ordering brutal crackdowns on anti-government protesters.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burundis-de-facto-internal-security-chief-killed-in-rocket-attack-on-car">Continue reading...</a>BurundiAfricaWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:36:38 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burundis-de-facto-internal-security-chief-killed-in-rocket-attack-on-carPhotograph: Riccardo Gangale/APBurundi’s president, Pierre Nkurunziza. The general was a close aide to the president and was seen as the mastermind behind the crackdown on protests against the president’s pursuit of a third term in office.David Smith, Africa correspondent2015-08-02T10:36:38ZReece Harding funeral: family pledges to further Kurdish cause he lost his life forhttp://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/01/reece-harding-funeral-family-pledges-to-further-kurdish-cause-he-lost-his-life-for
<p>The 23-year-old Gold Coast man, who died fighting with Kurdish forces against Islamic State militants in Syria, was laid to rest at a service on Saturday</p><p>The family of Gold Coast man Reece Harding has pledged to continue furthering the cause he lost his life for. </p><p>The 23-year-old died fighting with Kurdish forces against Islamic State militants in Syria.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/01/reece-harding-funeral-family-pledges-to-further-kurdish-cause-he-lost-his-life-for">Continue reading...</a>QueenslandAustralia newsGold CoastKurdsMiddle East and North AfricaSat, 01 Aug 2015 05:35:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/01/reece-harding-funeral-family-pledges-to-further-kurdish-cause-he-lost-his-life-forPhotograph: JAMIE McKINNELL/AAPIMAGEFriends of Reece Harding at his funeral services on the Gold Coast.Australian Associated Press2015-08-01T05:35:08ZObama to hit US power plants with tougher than expected emissions cutshttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/obama-to-hit-us-power-plants-with-tougher-than-expected-emissions-cuts
<p>The president will announce a 32% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in what he calls America’s biggest ever step against climate change</p><p>President Barack Obama will impose even steeper cuts on greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants than previously expected, senior administration officials said on Sunday, in what the president called the most significant step the US has ever taken to fight global warming.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/25/barack-obama-climate-change-legacy">Barack Obama sets sizzling climate action pace in push to leave legacy</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/obama-to-hit-us-power-plants-with-tougher-than-expected-emissions-cuts">Continue reading...</a>Barack ObamaObama administrationUS politicsClimate changeEnvironmentUS newsWorld newsGreenhouse gas emissionsSun, 02 Aug 2015 12:16:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/obama-to-hit-us-power-plants-with-tougher-than-expected-emissions-cutsPhotograph: Jonathan Ernst/ReutersBarack Obama in the Oval office. Climate change is not a problem for another generation, he said.Associated Press in New York2015-08-02T12:16:07ZChina to expand medical insurance in bid to reform healthcarehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/china-medical-insurance-healthcare-xi-jinping
<p>President Xi Jinping’s government unveils latest step in plan to deliver universal affordable treatment to population of 1.4 billion people</p><p>China will expand medical insurance to cover all critical illnesses for its population of nearly 1.4 billion by the end of the year, the government has announced. </p><p>The decision is the latest step in a plan to remedy a healthcare system that has sparked public discontent.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/china-medical-insurance-healthcare-xi-jinping">Continue reading...</a>ChinaHealthAsia PacificSocietyWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 07:50:53 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/china-medical-insurance-healthcare-xi-jinpingPhotograph: ReutersPresident Xi Jinping has touted access to affordable healthcare as a key platform of his administration.Reuters in Beijing2015-08-02T07:50:53ZTexas man hospitalized after bullet bounces off armadillohttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/bullet-bounces-off-armadillo-texas
<p>Incident in Cass County marks the second time this year someone in the American south has been hurt by a ricochet off one of the creatures</p><p>A Texas man was hospitalized this week, after being hit in the head by a ricocheting bullet <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/31/us-usa-texas-armadillo-idUSKCN0Q52KR20150731">he had aimed at an armadillo</a>. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/14/georgia-man-kills-armadillo-wounds-mother-in-law-ricochet">Georgia man wounds mother-in-law after bullet ricochets off armadillo</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/bullet-bounces-off-armadillo-texas">Continue reading...</a>TexasUS newsWorld newsAnimalsWildlifeEnvironmentSat, 01 Aug 2015 19:20:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/bullet-bounces-off-armadillo-texasPhotograph: Land Between The Lakes KY/TN/flickrA Texas man was injured after shooting an armadillo when the bullet bounced back. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lblkytn/19756007410/">Photograph: Land Between The Lakes KY/TN/flickr</a>Photograph: Land Between The Lakes KY/TN/flickrA Texas man was injured after shooting an armadillo when the bullet bounced back. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lblkytn/19756007410/">Photograph: Land Between The Lakes KY/TN/flickr</a>Amanda Holpuch in New York2015-08-01T19:20:55Z21 missing after mudslide in north-east Indiahttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mudslide-india-goupi-manipur-monsoon
<p>Police search for missing people feared buried in a mudslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains in Goupi, Manipur state</p><p>Police are searching for 21 people feared buried in a mudslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains in India’s remote mountainous north-eastern region.</p><p>A police officer said the mudslide occurred on Saturday in Goupi, a village in Manipur state close to India’s border with Burma. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mudslide-india-goupi-manipur-monsoon">Continue reading...</a>IndiaSouth and Central AsiaWorld newsNatural disasters and extreme weatherSat, 01 Aug 2015 16:25:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mudslide-india-goupi-manipur-monsoonPhotograph: STR/AFP/Getty ImagesBridge washed away by mudslide in Manipur. Landslides are common in India during the monsoon season, which lasts from June until September.Associated Press2015-08-01T16:25:05ZMullah Akhtar Mansoor: Taliban's new leader has a reputation for moderationhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/mullah-akhtar-mansoor-talibans-new-leader-has-a-reputation-for-moderation
<p>Mullah Omar’s reported successor joined the group at its founding and is known to be in favour of peace talks with the Afghan government </p><p>Mullah Akhtar Mansoor – believed to be the Taliban’s new leader – has an unexpected reputation as a relative moderate and vigorous proponent of peace talks, raising hopes that his leadership could pave the way for an end to years of fighting.<br /></p><p>He was a founding member of the group, who knew Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden personally, but kept a relatively low profile until the deaths and arrests of more prominent insurgent fighters thrust him to power.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/mullah-akhtar-mansoor-talibans-new-leader-has-a-reputation-for-moderation">Continue reading...</a>TalibanAfghanistanWorld newsPakistanSat, 01 Aug 2015 16:09:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/mullah-akhtar-mansoor-talibans-new-leader-has-a-reputation-for-moderationPhotograph: Ishtiaq Mahsud/APTaliban fighters on a training exercise in 2011.Bette Dam2015-08-01T16:09:36ZTexas man accuses wife of trying to kill him and then dies in police custodyhttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/texas-man-dies-police-custody-accuses-wife-chase
<p>Police said the erratic man ran into a lobby area, where a deputy handcuffed him to try to prevent him from hurting himself or others</p><p>Authorities said a panic-stricken man who dashed into a Dallas County jail lobby on Saturday morning, shouting that his wife was chasing him in an attempt to kill him, died after being handcuffed and losing consciousness.</p><p>Dallas County sheriff’s spokesman Raul Reyna said the 47-year-old man parked in a crosswalk in front of the county’s central jail and behaved erratically as he ran into a lobby late on Saturday morning, calling for a supervisor. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/texas-man-dies-police-custody-accuses-wife-chase">Continue reading...</a>TexasUS newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 19:40:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/texas-man-dies-police-custody-accuses-wife-chaseAssociated Press in Dallas2015-08-01T19:40:37ZViral video of 1,000 musicians wins over Foo Fighters: band will play Italian cityhttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/01/foo-fighters-cesena-italy-viral-video-dave-grohl
<p>Dave Grohl posts video of his own telling Cesena residents the band will be there soon as giant performance in city racks up more than 11.5m views</p><p>An Italian man has successfully wooed Foo Fighters with a “crazy” plan to have 1,000 musicians play a synchronized rendition of the hit Learn to Fly, in order to persuade the American band to play in his town.</p><p>Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl committed to a trip to Italy on Friday, the day after a video of the performance in Cesena’s Hippodrome Park went viral.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/01/foo-fighters-cesena-italy-viral-video-dave-grohl">Continue reading...</a>Foo FightersDave GrohlItalyPop and rockMusicCultureEuropeWorld newsUS newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 17:00:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/01/foo-fighters-cesena-italy-viral-video-dave-grohlPhotograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty ImagesAmanda Holpuch in New York2015-08-01T17:00:21ZSweden invents a word for girls’ genitals equivalent to ‘willy’ for boyshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/sweden-girls-genitals-feminist-invention-snippa-vagina
Everyone in the Scandinavian country uses the term ‘snippa’ for girls’ genitals. But few know it was a feminist invention<p>I only ever speak English to our three-year-old daughter, and my wife only speaks Swedish to her. The one exception is the word <em>snippa</em>. It’s Swedish for a girl’s genitals, the female equivalent of <em>snopp</em>, meaning “willy”, and I can’t find an English word that does the job.</p><p>Almost all the parents I know in Malm&ouml; use it. When a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_1176365953&amp;feature=iv&amp;src_vid=8Wp9iNINHMc&amp;v=Qd22--XZ31c" title="">cartoon</a> of dancing children’s genitalia made by Swedish children’s television went viral earlier this year, it was called <em>Snoppen och Snippan</em>, with <em>Snippan</em> translated by the English media as Twinkle. But to me, as a foreigner living in Sweden, <em>snippa</em> just is the word you use.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/sweden-girls-genitals-feminist-invention-snippa-vagina">Continue reading...</a>GenderSwedenEuropeWorld newsChildrenSocietySat, 01 Aug 2015 20:45:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/sweden-girls-genitals-feminist-invention-snippa-vaginaPhotograph: PRSnoppen och Snippan, a TV cartoon of dancing children’s genitalia, was a massive hit on the internet.Photograph: PRSnoppen och Snippan, a TV cartoon of dancing children’s genitalia, was a massive hit on the internet.Richard Orange in Malmö2015-08-01T20:45:02ZLord Coe expects 'robust response' from IAAF to claims of mass dopinghttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/lord-coe-response-iaaf-mass-doping-claims-blood-counts-olympic-athletics
<p>Former Olympic gold medallist pledges world athletics governing body will treat seriously allegations over ‘dubious’ blood counts in elite athletes</p><p>Lord Coe said he expects “a robust response” from the world athletics governing body to claims of mass doping, following the leak of thousands of elite athletes’ blood test results by a whistleblower.</p><p>The former Olympic gold medallist pledged the IAAF would treat “extremely seriously” allegations including that a third of all medals – including 55 golds - won in endurance events at recent Olympics and world championships went to competitors who had recorded a “dubious” blood count result during their career. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/lord-coe-response-iaaf-mass-doping-claims-blood-counts-olympic-athletics">Continue reading...</a>Drugs in sportAthleticsLord CoeSportUK newsWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 17:36:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/02/lord-coe-response-iaaf-mass-doping-claims-blood-counts-olympic-athleticsPhotograph: Joe Toth/BPI/Rex ShutterstockLord Coe: ‘“I know that the IAAF takes these allegations extremely seriously and it will issue a robust and detailed response to them and continue to work closely, as it has always done, with WADA.’Robert Booth2015-08-02T17:36:25ZWomen and children arriving at Calais's migrant camps 'need greater protection'http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/02/women-children-arriving-calais-migrant-camps-greater-protection
<p>Jean-François Corty, director of humanitarian organisation Médecins du Monde, wants more to be done by Europe to help the migrants in France</p><p>Women and children are turning up in large numbers at migrant camps in Calais for the first time and authorities are not doing enough to shelter and protect them, a senior aid worker has warned.</p><p>“Since last summer we started to have an increase in woman and children and families. It was not like that before,” said Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Corty, director of French operations for M&eacute;decins du Monde (MdM), which runs a clinic in the camp.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/02/women-children-arriving-calais-migrant-camps-greater-protection">Continue reading...</a>Immigration and asylumMigrationWorld newsUK newsWomenLife and styleChildrenSocietyAidGlobal developmentSun, 02 Aug 2015 17:16:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/02/women-children-arriving-calais-migrant-camps-greater-protectionPhotograph: Rob Stothard/Getty ImagesEritrean women talk near their tents in a makeshift camp near Calais.Emma Graham-Harrison in Calais2015-08-02T17:16:52ZCalifornia wildfire burns nearly 46,000 acres as two highways forced to closehttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/california-wildfire-lower-lake
<p>Rocky fire north of San Francisco is only 5% contained after destroying 24 homes and threatening more than 6,000 other structures, authorities say</p><p>A wildfire along northern California’s inland coastal range has now burned nearly 46,000 acres and forced the closure of two highways, officials said on Sunday, after a second blaze near the Oregon border killed a firefighter.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2015/jul/31/california-wildfires-firefighters-drought-gallery">California wildfires overwhelm drought-stricken state – in pictures</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/california-wildfire-lower-lake">Continue reading...</a>CaliforniaWildfiresNatural disasters and extreme weatherUS newsWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:42:24 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/california-wildfire-lower-lakePhotograph: Jeff Chiu/APCal Fire engineer Johnny Miller stands in front of a fire off of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake, California, on Friday.Agencies in Lower Lake, California2015-08-02T16:42:24ZShaolin abbot under investigation after sex and fraud claims surface onlinehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/shaolin-abbot-under-investigation-after-sex-and-claims-surface-online
<p>Former disciple accuses Shi Yongxin of embezzling money, holding double identities and having sexual relations with several women<br></p><p>The head of China’s most famous kung fu temple is under investigation by the country’s religious administration after online allegations by an anonymous former monk surfaced.</p><p>Shi Yongxin, the Buddhist abbot of Shaolin monastery in Henan province, has been fighting off claims over the past fortnight of multiple sexual relations and embezzlement.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/shaolin-abbot-under-investigation-after-sex-and-claims-surface-online">Continue reading...</a>ChinaAsia PacificWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:10:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/shaolin-abbot-under-investigation-after-sex-and-claims-surface-onlinePhotograph: Jiang Kehong/CorbisMonks performing Shaolin kung fu. The claims allege that Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin monastery in Henan province, had actually been expelled from the famous temple in the late 1980s.Fergus Ryan in Beijing2015-08-02T16:10:50Z10 of the best photographers documenting post-Soviet life – in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/jul/31/photography-post-soviet-new-east-russia
<p><a href="http://calvertjournal.com/">The Calvert Journal</a> selects some of the most compelling artists across the new east, turning a lens on everything from lone arctic researchers to expectant parents <br></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/jul/31/photography-post-soviet-new-east-russia">Continue reading...</a>PhotographyArt and designCultureWorld newsRussiaArmeniaGeorgiaTurkmenistanEuropeFri, 31 Jul 2015 04:00:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/jul/31/photography-post-soviet-new-east-russiaPhotograph: Jana Romanova/Jana RomanovaPhotograph: Jana Romanova/Jana RomanovaAnastasiia Fedorova for The Calvert Journal, part of the New East network2015-07-31T04:00:11ZObama in Africa: 12 things we learned from his historic triphttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/30/obama-in-africa-12-things-we-learned
<p>Bold statements on gay rights and a visit to the ‘grandmother of humanity’, <strong>David Smith</strong> reflects on a week following the US president </p><p>Obama is on a roll. He arrived in east Africa on the back of a ruling upholding his healthcare plan, endorsement of his Pacific trade agreement, a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/23/obama-team-attempts-to-persuade-us-lawmakers-to-endorse-iran-nuclear-deal">nuclear deal with Iran</a>, the reopening of diplomatic relations with Cuba, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK7tYOVd0Hs">stirring eulogy in Charleston</a>. He disembarked Air Force One in Nairobi with a spring in his step and proceeded to confidently skewer homophobia, misogyny, corruption and dictatorship. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/25/barack-obama-message-hope-kenya-africa-speech">Obama's message of hope rings true in call for Africa to flourish</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/30/obama-in-africa-12-things-we-learned">Continue reading...</a>AfricaBarack ObamaKenyaEthiopiaWorld newsUS newsAfrican UnionLGBT rightsFamilyChinaThu, 30 Jul 2015 10:41:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/30/obama-in-africa-12-things-we-learnedPhotograph: Jonathan Ernst/ReutersBarack Obama waves to the crowd as he departs the indoor stadium in Nairobi 26 July.Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/ReutersBarack Obama waves to the crowd as he departs the indoor stadium in Nairobi 26 July.David Smith in Addis Ababa2015-07-30T10:41:11Z'Is there an end?' The residents caught in the crossfire in eastern Ukrainehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/eastern-ukraine-donbass-residents-caught-up-in-war
<p>Life is an everyday battle for locals who, despite a fragile truce, continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. <a href="http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/526388.html">The Moscow Times</a> reports<br></p><p>Vasily Nikolaevich, a 63-year-old resident of Mariinka, a small town in Ukraine just 20 kilometres away from the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/mar/19/donetsk-ukraine-civilian-life-returns-in-pictures">rebel-controlled city of Donetsk</a>, was in his vegetable garden when he heard the sound of shooting coming from the neighbouring street. </p><p>He finished his weeding, walked into the house, and told his wife he’d wager for return fire within 20 minutes.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/eastern-ukraine-donbass-residents-caught-up-in-war">Continue reading...</a>UkraineRussiaEuropeWorld newsInternally displaced peopleThu, 30 Jul 2015 06:00:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/eastern-ukraine-donbass-residents-caught-up-in-warPhotograph: Igor Tkachenko/ReutersLocal residents stand in a line during a distribution of free bread in Donetsk, Ukraine.Photograph: Igor Tkachenko/ReutersLocal residents stand in a line during a distribution of free bread in Donetsk, Ukraine.Tanya Lokshina for the Moscow Times, part of the New East network2015-07-30T06:00:15ZNo sex, drugs or rock’n’roll – a North Korean gap yearhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/north-korea-gap-year-student-sex-drugs
<p>Alessandro Ford was the first western student to be enrolled at Kim Il-sung University. He tells us about his isolated trip with only Eminem for company </p><p>Alessandro Ford had a gap year with a difference. His movements were monitored everywhere he went; he spent hours discussing<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/13/north-korean-international-laughing-stock"> the merits of Juche ideology</a> over American imperialism; and his only contact with the outside world was a 10-minute phone call with his mum once a week. </p><p>From August to December last year, the 18-year-old was enrolled as a student at the Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang, learning Korean. Whilst the university takes in foreign students from countries including China and Russia, he was the first “western” student to ever study there. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/north-korea-gap-year-student-sex-drugs">Continue reading...</a>North KoreaStudentsAsia PacificEducationHigher educationWorld newsGap year travelGap yearsTravelThu, 30 Jul 2015 04:00:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/north-korea-gap-year-student-sex-drugsPhotograph: Alessandro FordFord points to Kim Il-sung University, where he was the first western student to study.Photograph: Alessandro FordFord points to Kim Il-sung University, where he was the first western student to study.Photograph: Alessandro FordPhotograph: Alessandro FordMaeve Shearlaw2015-07-30T04:00:11ZNigerian erotica: how the church leader became a sex symbolhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/sex-church-nigeria-africa-erotica-fiction-books
<p>As a new series paints the all-powerful pastor as a figure of lust, we discuss the future of adult literature in Africa </p><p>“When he talks the breeze ceases and the roof trembles. He commands the crippled to rise, and they rise. He lays his fingers on the blind, and they see. He touches a widow’s sick son, and he is healed.” </p><p>“He” is Pastor Samuel, the protagonist of a new fiction series, Holy Sex, that is using the erotic genre to examine the influence and power that the church pastor has over women’s lives in contemporary Nigerian society. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/sex-church-nigeria-africa-erotica-fiction-books">Continue reading...</a>AfricaNigeriaBooksPornographyCultureWorld newsReligionReligionSexWed, 29 Jul 2015 06:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/sex-church-nigeria-africa-erotica-fiction-booksPhotograph: Barbara Davidson/Dallas MorninObinna Udenwe’s ‘playful’ look at the church turns the religious pastor figure into a sex symbol.Photograph: Barbara Davidson/Dallas MorninObinna Udenwe’s ‘playful’ look at the church turns the religious pastor figure into a sex symbol.Maeve Shearlaw2015-07-29T06:00:04ZThe Skype ceremony – the young Tajiks getting married onlinehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/tajikistan-skype-weddings-migrant-workers-religion
<p>With more than a quarter of Tajikistan’s citizens working abroad, some couples are relying on video chats to make their vows. <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-skype-marriages/27149406.html">RFE/RL</a> report</p><p>In Shahnoza Idrisova’s <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-skype-marriages/27149406.html">wedding photo</a>, the 27-year-old economist is dressed in white and accepting a water-filled bowl from her new mother-in-law, a ritual normally performed by both bride and groom just after marriage.<br /></p><p>Her groom, however, is a continent away from the ceremony working as a translator in Tunisia. Just moments before the photo was taken, the couple had exchanged their vows via an online video chat service.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/tajikistan-skype-weddings-migrant-workers-religion">Continue reading...</a>TajikistanSouth and Central AsiaWorld newsSkypeMigrationInternetTechnologyWeddingsLife and styleWomenReligionWed, 29 Jul 2015 04:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/tajikistan-skype-weddings-migrant-workers-religionPhotograph: Ksenia DiodorovaA Tajik bride on her wedding day. Couples say Skype is an increasingly convenient way to take their vows.Photograph: Ksenia DiodorovaA Tajik bride on her wedding day. Couples say Skype is an increasingly convenient way to take their vows.Farangis Najibullah and Ganjinai Ganj for RFE/RL, part of the New East network2015-07-29T04:00:09ZLight across the spectrum: the challenges of autism in Iranhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/29/light-across-the-spectrum-the-challenges-of-autism-in-iran
<p>Awareness about autism is growing in Iran through TV shows and educational campaigns. But families still struggle without any outside help and worry about the future when they are gone</p><p>Yalda was nine months old when her mother Farideh Hojjati first became concerned at her restlessness. When Yalda was 18 months, she started losing her few words and sentences, and Hojjati took her daughter to several doctors. </p><p>One diagnosed hearing deficiencies, another found Yalda “mentally retarded”, and a third said she had a brain disorder. Yalda was three when a doctor finally diagnosed autism.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/29/light-across-the-spectrum-the-challenges-of-autism-in-iran">Continue reading...</a>IranAutismMiddle East and North AfricaSocietyWorld newsWed, 29 Jul 2015 04:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/29/light-across-the-spectrum-the-challenges-of-autism-in-iranPhotograph: CorbisPhotograph: CorbisDenise Hassanzade Ajiri for Tehran Bureau2015-07-29T04:00:08ZHow Russia's 'most controversial artist' persuaded his interrogator to change sideshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/petr-pavlensky-artist-scrotum-red-square-interrogator
<p>Arrested for vandalism, Petr Pavlensky’s arguments against the state were so convincing his chief investigator quit and joined him. <a href="http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/526247.html">The Moscow Times</a> reports<br></p><p>When investigator Pavel Yasman was tasked with interrogating performance artist <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/feb/05/petr-pavlensky-nailed-scrotum-red-square">Petr Pavlensky</a>, known for his shocking political protests, he never imagined that their conversations would change his life.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/jun/09/petr-pavlensky-russia-scrotum-red-square-any-questions">'There are easier ways to make a living than nailing your scrotum to Red Square' – Petr Pavlensky Q&amp;A</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/petr-pavlensky-artist-scrotum-red-square-interrogator">Continue reading...</a>RussiaPerformance artArtCultureEuropeWorld newsArt and designTue, 28 Jul 2015 07:50:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/petr-pavlensky-artist-scrotum-red-square-interrogatorPhotograph: Handout / Reuters/ReutersArtist Petr Pavlensky with his mouth sewed up in solidarity with Pussy Riot in St Petersburg in 2012.Photograph: Handout / Reuters/ReutersArtist Petr Pavlensky with his mouth sewed up in solidarity with Pussy Riot in St Petersburg in 2012.Ivan Nechepurenko for The Moscow Times, part of the New East network2015-07-28T07:50:57ZNorth Korea orders house-to-house searches to confiscate banned musichttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/north-korea-music-bans-dissent
<p>Kim Jong-un has issued a decree demanding the destruction of tapes and CDs that could threaten the regime. <a href="http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01500&amp;num=13365">Daily NK</a> reports<br></p><p>Always concerned about possible threats to his regime, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered music censorship to be extended, banning not only foreign songs but local tunes too, sources inside North Korea say. <br /></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/22/north-korea-laibach-pyongyang-concert">Laibach to play Sound of Music covers at Pyongyang's first rock concert</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/north-korea-music-bans-dissent">Continue reading...</a>North KoreaAsia PacificWorld newsMusicKim Jong-unCultureFilmPop and rockCensorshipTue, 28 Jul 2015 04:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/north-korea-music-bans-dissentPhotograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty ImagesA band reportedly hand-selected by Kim Jong-un perform for tourists in China. Inside the country, the North Korean leader is cracking down on music not to his liking.Photograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty ImagesA band reportedly hand-selected by Kim Jong-un perform for tourists in China. Inside the country, the North Korean leader is cracking down on music not to his liking.Choi Song Min for Daily NK, part of the North Korean network2015-07-28T04:00:05ZWhat does the Iran nuclear deal mean for Iraq?http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/28/iraqis-fear-iran-after-nuclear-deal
<p>The landmark agreement leaves Iraqi public opinion divided along ethnic<br> and sectarian lines</p><p>Just a few hours after the agreement was announced, Iraqis were heatedly discussing the topic on the streets, in cafes and on social media forums: did the United States sell them out? Will Iran now be able to interfere in Iraq with impunity?</p><p>As with most topics related to its eastern neighbour, with whom Iraq shares a 1,500-kilometre border and a war-tainted history, the public’s reactions to the nuclear deal were <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/mar/17/iran-viewed-from-iraq-fight-against-isis">divided</a> along the ethnic and sectarian fault lines present in Iraqi society.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/28/iraqis-fear-iran-after-nuclear-deal">Continue reading...</a>IranIraqReligionMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsNouri al-MalikiIslamic StateNuclear weaponsUS defence spendingUS foreign policySaddam HusseinSaudi ArabiaTurkeyKuwaitOilTue, 28 Jul 2015 04:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/28/iraqis-fear-iran-after-nuclear-dealPhotograph: Maya Alleruzzo/APA general view of Firdous Square at the site of an AP photograph taken by Jerome Delay as the statue of Saddam Hussein is pulled down by US forces and Iraqis on 9 April 2003.Photograph: Maya Alleruzzo/APA general view of Firdous Square at the site of an AP photograph taken by Jerome Delay as the statue of Saddam Hussein is pulled down by US forces and Iraqis on 9 April 2003.Mustafa Habib for Tehran Bureau2015-07-28T04:00:05ZRussia's musical new wave embraces Soviet chichttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/russias-musical-new-wave-embraces-soviet-chic
<p>Nostalgic young musicians seek connection to culture of the past<br></p><p>In one of his latest music videos, Russia’s best-known rapper, Timati, and his label mate L’One crush cheap cars with a Soviet tank, then take female admirers for a joyride on two sidecar motorcycles emblazoned with red stars.<br /></p><p>“I’ll raise a toast to mother Russia!” Timati declares before the track, which is named after the Soviet singer and actor Leonid Utyosov, closes with a sample of Utyosov saying: “Very good!”</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/russias-musical-new-wave-embraces-soviet-chic">Continue reading...</a>RussiaEuropeWorld newsMusicMikhail GorbachevCultureRapHip-hopVladimir PutinPop and rockWed, 29 Jul 2015 04:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/russias-musical-new-wave-embraces-soviet-chicPhotograph: Florian Seefried/Getty ImagesThe Russian hip-hop artist Timati performing with the US rapper Snoop Dogg.Alec Luhn in Moscow2015-07-29T04:00:08ZCalais will haunt Cameron – it gives EU ‘outs’ the perfect showreel | Matthew d’Anconahttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/02/calais-haunt-cameron-eu-referendum-showreel
Footage of young men running at lorries, trying to make it to England at any price, will be abused by those who think Britain has lost control of its destiny<p>So ends the honeymoon: the turmoil in Calais and its consequences in Kent have finally <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/30/david-cameron-migrant-swarm-language-condemned" title="">dragged David Cameron</a> from the election winner’s podium down to political ground level and a harsh audit of his response to the cross-Channel crisis.</p><p>Labour, of course, is distracted to the point of irrelevance, squirming in a chrysalis that occasionally assumes the shape of a fossil. The most that the party’s interim leader, Harriet Harman, has mustered so far is a letter to Cameron, demanding that compensation be sought from France for those who have been inconvenienced. Hardly raises the pulse, does it?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/02/calais-haunt-cameron-eu-referendum-showreel">Continue reading...</a>EU referendumMigrationDavid CameronEuropean UnionForeign policyPoliticsUK newsEuropeWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:51:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/02/calais-haunt-cameron-eu-referendum-showreelPhotograph: Yui Mok/PAMigrants at Calais. 'The proposition that Brexit would stop them in their tracks shows a heartbreaking lack of understanding of human nature.' Photograph: Yui Mok/PAPhotograph: Yui Mok/PAMigrants at Calais. 'The proposition that Brexit would stop them in their tracks shows a heartbreaking lack of understanding of human nature.' Photograph: Yui Mok/PAMatthew d'Ancona2015-08-02T16:51:51ZCoalition MPs demand proper say on next Speaker as Bronwyn Bishop quitshttp://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/coalition-mps-demand-proper-say-on-next-speaker-as-bronwyn-bishop-quits
<p>Party room ballot could decide successor to Bishop as Tony Abbott tries to draw a line under the damaging affair by launching a ‘root and branch’ review of expenses </p><p>Coalition MPs are demanding a real say in the selection of a new Speaker after the embattled Bronwyn Bishop finally resigned to end the expenses scandal paralysing the Abbott government.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/aug/02/bronwyn-bishop-resigns-as-speaker-politics-live">Bronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker – as it happened</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/coalition-mps-demand-proper-say-on-next-speaker-as-bronwyn-bishop-quits">Continue reading...</a>Bronwyn BishopTony AbbottAustralian politicsAustralian politicians' expensesAustralia newsBill ShortenLiberal partyCoalitionSun, 02 Aug 2015 11:42:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/02/coalition-mps-demand-proper-say-on-next-speaker-as-bronwyn-bishop-quitsPhotograph: Lukas Coch/AAPBronwyn Bishop: ‘It is because of my love and respect for the institution of the parliament and the Australian people that I have resigned.’Shalailah Medhora and Lenore Taylor2015-08-02T11:42:12ZSouth Sudan: we will arm children with sports instead of guns – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/south-sudan-arm-children-sports-instead-of-guns-olympics-video
The head of the South Sudan national Olympic committee, Wilson Deng Kuoirot, says he wants to arm the country's children with sports instead of guns as it becomes the 206th member of the Olympic movement. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously to recognise South Sudan, which will allow the nation's athletes to compete under their own flag at the Olympics and world championships <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/south-sudan-arm-children-sports-instead-of-guns-olympics-video">Continue reading...</a>South SudanOlympicsSportInternational Olympic CommitteeOlympic GamesAfricaOlympic Games 2016Sun, 02 Aug 2015 15:50:24 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/south-sudan-arm-children-sports-instead-of-guns-olympics-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for South Sudan becomes 206th member of the Olympic movement videoGuardian Staff2015-08-02T15:50:24ZIran nuclear deal makes Middle East safer, says John Kerry - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/iran-nuclear-deal-middle-east-john-kerry-egypt-video
Speaking in Cairo, US secretary of state John Kerry says last month's nuclear deal with Iran will bring greater peace and security to the Middle East. Despite persistent human rights concerns, the US on Sunday resumed formal security talks with Egypt that were last held six years ago. Speaking alongside Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, Kerry says Egypt and the wider region is safer following the deal which scales back Iran's nuclear programme <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/iran-nuclear-deal-middle-east-john-kerry-egypt-video">Continue reading...</a>EgyptUS newsJohn KerryNuclear weaponsIranSun, 02 Aug 2015 15:25:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/iran-nuclear-deal-middle-east-john-kerry-egypt-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for John KerryGuardian Staff2015-08-02T15:25:49ZEyewitness: New York, UShttp://www.theguardian.com/world/picture/2015/aug/02/eyewitness-new-york-us
<p>Photographs from the Eyewitness series</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/02/cecil-the-lion-endangered-species-empire-state-building">Gallery: Cecil the lion joins endangered species on Empire State Building</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/picture/2015/aug/02/eyewitness-new-york-us">Continue reading...</a>New YorkUS newsWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:59:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/picture/2015/aug/02/eyewitness-new-york-usPhotograph: Eduardo Munoz/ReutersPhotograph: Eduardo Munoz/ReutersEduardo Munoz/Reuters2015-08-02T14:59:57ZTurkish troops killed in Kurdish militant 'suicide attack'http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/turkish-troops-killed-suicide-attack-blamed-on-pkk
<p>Two soldiers killed and dozens wounded in attack blamed on PKK, as Ankara keeps up its air campaign against rebels in northern Iraq</p><p>Two Turkish soldiers have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide attack blamed on Kurdish militants, as Ankara kept up its air campaign against rebel bases in northern Iraq.<br /></p><p>The attack in the Doğubayazıt district of Turkey’s eastern Ağrı province is the first time Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) militants have been accused of staging a suicide attack in the current crisis, amid an escalating cycle of violence.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/turkish-troops-killed-suicide-attack-blamed-on-pkk">Continue reading...</a>TurkeyIraqKurdsMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:35:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/turkish-troops-killed-suicide-attack-blamed-on-pkkPhotograph: STR/AFP/Getty ImagesWreckage lies on the ground following the attack in the Doğubeyazıt district of Agri province in Turkey.Agence France-Presse in Istanbul2015-08-02T14:35:40ZItalian coastguard rescues 1,800 migrants as five found deadhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/italian-coastguard-rescues-1800-migrants
<p>Almost 2,000 migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, on top of 3,500 last year</p><p>About 1,800 migrants have been rescued from seven overcrowded vessels in the Mediterranean, while five corpses were found on a rubber boat carrying 212 others, according to the Italian coastguard.</p><p> The bodies were found on board at the time of the rescue, a coastguard spokeswoman said on Sunday. The cause of death was not yet known.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/italian-coastguard-rescues-1800-migrants">Continue reading...</a>MigrationWorld newsItalySun, 02 Aug 2015 14:23:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/italian-coastguard-rescues-1800-migrantsPhotograph: Jason Florio/AFP/Getty ImagesMigrants in the Mediterranean in May. About 90,000 migrant have arrived in Italy by sea so far this year, after 170,000 in 2014.Reuters in Rome2015-08-02T14:23:10ZCecil the lion joins endangered species on Empire State Buildinghttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/02/cecil-the-lion-endangered-species-empire-state-building
<p>On Saturday, documentary film-makers projected a loop of images of endangered animals on to the side of one of New York City’s most famous landmarks</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/01/jericho-not-dead-cecil-the-lion-zimbabwe">Jericho the lion, Cecil’s brother, is alive, authorities confirm</a><br></li></ul> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/02/cecil-the-lion-endangered-species-empire-state-building">Continue reading...</a>AnimalsWildlifeConservationEnvironmentUS newsNew YorkWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 12:57:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/02/cecil-the-lion-endangered-species-empire-state-buildingPhotograph: Gary Hershorn/CorbisAgencies in New York2015-08-02T12:57:37ZCarFest resumes after stunt pilot's deathhttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/02/carfest-resumes-kevin-whyman-chris-evans
<p>Kevin Whyman, 35, killed in accident in Cheshire on Saturday, but festival founder Chris Evans said police advised event could continue</p><p>Chris Evans’ car festival has resumed despite the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/01/pilot-killed-stunt-plane-crash-air-show-chris-evans">death of a pilot</a> whose aircraft plummeted from the sky during an aerial display.</p><p>Kevin Whyman, 35, was killed in the accident, which happened at about 2pm in Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Saturday.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/02/carfest-resumes-kevin-whyman-chris-evans">Continue reading...</a>Air transportUK newsChris EvansSun, 02 Aug 2015 12:54:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/02/carfest-resumes-kevin-whyman-chris-evansPhotograph: Lynne Cameron/PAKevin Whyman, 35, was killed in an accident at CarFest in Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Saturday.Press Association2015-08-02T12:54:51ZEgypt to open Suez canal expansion two years earlyhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-to-open-suez-canal-expansion-finished-in-a-third-of-projected-time
<p>The $8bn expansion, which adds an additional lane along part of the vital shipping channel, was finished in one year on orders of President Sisi<br></p><p>Egypt is this week set to inaugurate a major expansion of the Suez canal finished in a third of the originally estimated time.</p><p>The $8bn (&pound;5bn) project had been projected to take three years but on the orders of the president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the former military chief who led the overthrow of an elected Islamist government in 2013, was completed after one year.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-to-open-suez-canal-expansion-finished-in-a-third-of-projected-time">Continue reading...</a>EgyptWater transportAfricaMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 11:40:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-to-open-suez-canal-expansion-finished-in-a-third-of-projected-timePhotograph: Pan Chaoyue/Xinhua Press/CorbisBoats cross through the new Suez canal in Ismailia, Egypt. Officials predict a more than twofold increase in revenues for the canal, from $5.3bn to $13.2bn in 2023.Jared Malsin in Ismailia2015-08-02T11:40:04ZEgypt court further postpones verdict in al-Jazeera journalists' retrialhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-postpones-verdict-al-jazeera-peter-greste-mohamed-fahmy-baher-mohamed
<p>Decision on Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed rescheduled for 29 August</p><p>An Egyptian court has postponed for a second time its verdict in the retrial of three al-Jazeera journalists, rescheduling it for 29 August.<br /></p><p>The court had already <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/30/egypt-court-delays-al-jazeera-verdict">put off its much anticipated verdict</a> last Thursday because the judge was reportedly ill. Another judge at Sunday’s hearing said the verdict was being delayed again because other defendants in the trial could not be brought to the court room from their cells.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-postpones-verdict-al-jazeera-peter-greste-mohamed-fahmy-baher-mohamed">Continue reading...</a>EgyptAl-JazeeraAfricaMediaMiddle East and North AfricaTV newsTelevision industryWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:54:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-postpones-verdict-al-jazeera-peter-greste-mohamed-fahmy-baher-mohamedPhotograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty ImagesBaher Mohamed (second from left) and Mohamed Fahmy (third from left). An Egyptian court has postponed its verdict in the retrial of three al-Jazeera journalists, including Peter Greste who has since been deported.Agence France-Presse in Cairo2015-08-02T10:54:57ZCalais migrants' stories speak to a wider truthhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/calais-migrants-stories-speak-to-wider-truth-justin-forsyth-save-the-children
<p>Behind all the talk of ‘hoards’ and ‘floods’ we are in danger of shutting our hearts to the desperation of refugees, not economic migrants</p><p>How do you know your parents love you? For most of us the answer to that is pretty simple. A parent’s love is measured in the lengths they’ll go to keep their children safe and give the best possible chance in life. That’s what motivates the mums and dads who encourage their children to flee violence and suffering knowing they face horrific journeys across deserts, seas, borders and barbed wire fences – to reach safety. Not greed, not opportunism, but love.</p><p>As the political conversation about the situation in Calais takes a sour turn I can’t help thinking of a teenager I met in Sicily a few weeks ago. He had fled persecution and suffering in Eritrea only to be kidnapped and trafficked. He was held in the Sinai desert in Egypt for 11 months and tortured to extract more money from his family – the traffickers would phone so his mum could hear him screaming. Those traffickers knew the power of a mother’s love. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/calais-migrants-stories-speak-to-wider-truth-justin-forsyth-save-the-children">Continue reading...</a>MigrationImmigration and asylumUK newsWorld newsEuropeSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:33:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/calais-migrants-stories-speak-to-wider-truth-justin-forsyth-save-the-childrenPhotograph: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty ImagesMigrants build a makeshift shelter in Calais.Justin Forsyth Chief executive of Save the Children2015-08-02T10:33:15ZCalais migrants abandon plans for life in UK and start learning Frenchhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/calais-camp-migrants-abandon-uk-learn-french
<p>There’s a mosque, shops and now a school. The students and volunteer teachers want the camp to be a place to live, not just survive</p><p>The roof is plastic held up by a crooked tree trunk, the desks just a jumble of cast-off chairs, but the students inside the Chemin des Dunes school are studying with the same intensity you would find in a Oxford seminar. At stake is the hope of a new life in France.</p><p>“The French language is very difficult, but we try hard. If we come every day, maybe we can touch our dreams,” says Kamal, a refugee from Sudan’s war-torn Darfur district who comes to three or four hours of classes every day. “It’s a good thing to keep your brain active.”</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/calais-camp-migrants-abandon-uk-learn-french">Continue reading...</a>MigrationRefugeesFranceEuropeUK newsWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:25:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/calais-camp-migrants-abandon-uk-learn-frenchPhotograph: Sean Smith/ObserverKamal, a 29-year-old refugee from Sudan, learning French at the school in the 'jungle' camp near Calais. His teacher is Veonique Soufflet, a volunteer from Lille. Photograph: Sean Smith for the ObserverPhotograph: Sean Smith/ObserverKamal, a 29-year-old refugee from Sudan, learning French at the school in the 'jungle' camp near Calais. His teacher is Veonique Soufflet, a volunteer from Lille. Photograph: Sean Smith for the ObserverJosh Halliday and Emma Graham-Harrison2015-08-02T10:25:16ZJapan's atomic bomb survivors continue in fight against nuclear weaponshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/japan-atomic-bomb-survivors-nuclear-weapons-hiroshima-70th-anniversary
<p>As Japan prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the world’s first nuclear attack, survivors ponder how to continue warning of the horrors of nuclear war </p><p>It is not as if Sunao Tsuboi needs another reminder of his violent encounter, as a 20-year-old university student, with a “living hell on earth”. The facial scars he has carried for seven decades are proof enough. But, as if to remind himself of the day he became a witness to the horrors of nuclear warfare, he removes a a black-and-white photograph and points to the shaved head of a young man looking away from the lens.</p><p>“That’s me,” he says. “We were hoping we would find some sort of medical help, but there was no treatment available, and no food or water. I thought I had reached the end.”<br tabindex="-1" /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/japan-atomic-bomb-survivors-nuclear-weapons-hiroshima-70th-anniversary">Continue reading...</a>JapanAsia PacificWorld newsNuclear weaponsSecond world warSun, 02 Aug 2015 10:16:28 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/japan-atomic-bomb-survivors-nuclear-weapons-hiroshima-70th-anniversaryPhotograph: AlamySunao Tsuboi on Miyuki Bridge, where he was photographed three hours after the bombing of Hiroshima.Justin McCurry in Hiroshima2015-08-02T10:16:28ZMigrants set up school in Calais 'Jungle' - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/migrants-set-up-school-in-calais-jungle-video
Zimarco Jones says he founded the Calais school, which opened on 11 July, to help his fellow migrants learn French in order to claim asylum legally. Jones, a refugee who fled Nigeria in December 2010, says the school is open to everyone and hopes it will bring a sense of community and unite the 'Jungle' <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/migrants-set-up-school-in-calais-jungle-video">Continue reading...</a>MigrationFranceUK newsImmigration and asylumEuropeSun, 02 Aug 2015 09:34:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/migrants-set-up-school-in-calais-jungle-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Migrants set up school in Calais Jungle - videoLucas Léger2015-08-02T09:34:22ZEurotunnel breach: riot police use tear gas on migrants - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/eurotunnel-riot-police-tear-gas-migrants-calais-coquelles-video
More than 200 migrants attempt to breach the inner fences of the Eurotunnel in Coquelles, near Calais, on Saturday night. Some of the migrants are seen breaking down fences surrounding the compound. Riot police are eventually deployed and use CS gas to push back the group. On Friday night French police said around 800 migrants had gathered by security fencing with some 300 breaching the secure area <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/eurotunnel-riot-police-tear-gas-migrants-calais-coquelles-video">Continue reading...</a>MigrationFranceUK newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 09:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/02/eurotunnel-riot-police-tear-gas-migrants-calais-coquelles-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Migrants EurotunnelJason N. Parkinson/reportdigital.co.uk2015-08-02T09:30:00ZHiroshima’s fate, 70 years ago this week, must not be forgottenhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/hiroshima-bombing-70-years-on-eric-schlosser
Two outstanding works of journalism bookmark that 70-year period: John Hersey’s 1946 article, which reminds us of the horror of the bombing; and Eric Schlosser’s terrifying account of a break-in at a US weapons plant in 2012 – a warning, he says, about our current complacency<p>In numbers of people killed, the second world war is uncontested in its claim to be the most murderous six years in human history. About 60 million perished in a global conflagration of total warfare. But amid this remorseless carnival of death and destruction, two very different events stand out for their grotesque novelty and their coldly efficient slaughter of civilians: the Holocaust, the world’s first industrialised genocide, and Hiroshima, the world’s first atomic bomb attack, which took place on 6 August 1945, 70 years ago this week.</p><p>Both cast long shadows over the 20th century and on into the present day. And both raise complex questions about the nature of humanity – that we have within us the capability to organise over several years the systematic extermination of a whole race of people, and also the obliteration of a large populated city in the blink of an eye.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/hiroshima-bombing-70-years-on-eric-schlosser">Continue reading...</a>Nuclear weaponsWorld newsSecond world warForeign policyPoliticsBooksCultureSun, 02 Aug 2015 07:00:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/hiroshima-bombing-70-years-on-eric-schlosserPhotograph: KIMIMASA MAYAMA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA/epa/CorbisPhotograph: KIMIMASA MAYAMA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA/epa/CorbisAndrew Anthony2015-08-02T07:00:12ZBurma flood toll will increase as monsoon rains lash region, warns UNhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burma-flood-toll-will-increase-as-monsoon-rains-lash-region-warns-un
<p>Thousands have already been affected by the downpours and aid workers fear that the death toll of 27 is likely to grow significantly higher</p><p>The toll from flash floods and landslides in Burma after days of torrential rain is likely to spike, the UN has warned, as monsoonal downpours brought misery to thousands across the region.<br /></p><p>At least 27 people have been killed and more than 150,000 affected by flooding in Burma in recent days with the government declaring the four worst-hit areas in the centre and west of the country as “national disaster-affected regions”.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burma-flood-toll-will-increase-as-monsoon-rains-lash-region-warns-un">Continue reading...</a>BurmaCyclone NargisNatural disasters and extreme weatherSouth and Central AsiaWorld newsIndiaNepalVietnamUnited NationsSun, 02 Aug 2015 05:47:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/burma-flood-toll-will-increase-as-monsoon-rains-lash-region-warns-unPhotograph: Sai Zaw/AFP/Getty ImagesFlooding in Kalay in Burma’s Sagaing region, which has been declared a disaster zone.Agence France-Presse2015-08-02T05:47:57ZCanada prime minister Stephen Harper set to call October electionhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/canada-prime-minister-stephen-harper-set-to-call-october-election
<p>Conservative leader is meeting the governor general on Sunday and is expected to name October 11 as the date for a poll likely to focus on the economy </p><p>Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, is poised to call a parliamentary election for October 19, kicking off a marathon 11-week campaign likely to focus on a stubbornly sluggish economy and his decade in power.</p><p> Harper’s office said in a statement on Saturday night that he is due to visit governor general David Johnston – the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada’s head of state – at 9:55 am (1355 GMT) on Sunday.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/canada-prime-minister-stephen-harper-set-to-call-october-election">Continue reading...</a>CanadaAmericasWorld newsStephen HarperSun, 02 Aug 2015 04:29:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/canada-prime-minister-stephen-harper-set-to-call-october-electionPhotograph: Mark Blinch/REUTERSStephen Harper has been in power for nearly a decade.Reuters2015-08-02T04:29:36ZMexican photojournalist Ruben Espinosa among five found dead in capitalhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/mexican-photojournalist-ruben-espinosa-found-dead-in-capital
<p>Espinosa, who worked for the investigative magazine Proceso, found dead in an apartment with four other people after fleeing his home state of Veracruz </p><p>A photographer for an investigative magazine who fled his home state after being harassed has been found dead in Mexico City along with other people.</p><p>The body of Ruben Espinosa, who collaborated with Proceso magazine and other media, was identified by a family member at the morgue on Saturday afternoon, the magazine reported, adding that he had two gunshot wounds.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/mexican-photojournalist-ruben-espinosa-found-dead-in-capital">Continue reading...</a>MexicoMediaAmericasSun, 02 Aug 2015 03:32:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/mexican-photojournalist-ruben-espinosa-found-dead-in-capitalPhotograph: STR/EPARuben Espinosa, the Mexican photojournalist found dead in Mexico City on Saturday.Associated Press2015-08-02T03:32:27ZFifty-four adults and children 'captive for decades' rescued from Shining Pathhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/fifty-four-adults-children-peru-captive-decades-rescued-shining-path
<p>Peruvian security forces liberate hostages, mostly members of the Ashaninka indigenous group, from remote jungle region</p><p>Peruvian security forces have rescued 54 adults and children, mostly members of the Ashaninka indigenous group, being held captive by Shining Path rebels in a remote jungle region, according to an official.</p><p>Anti-terrorism police chief Gen Jose Baella said some of the adults were kidnapped between 20 and 30 years ago from Puerto Ocopa and nearby towns when the rebel movement was still strong.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/fifty-four-adults-children-peru-captive-decades-rescued-shining-path">Continue reading...</a>PeruAmericasWorld newsSun, 02 Aug 2015 00:00:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/fifty-four-adults-children-peru-captive-decades-rescued-shining-pathPhotograph: Mariana Bazo/ReutersPeople rescued from Shining Path rebels sit at Mazamari military base in the Amazon province of Satipo, Peru.Associated Press2015-08-02T00:00:23ZBrighton Pride's 25th anniversary parade - in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/01/brighton-prides-25th-anniversary-parade-in-pictures
<p>Not even <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/01/brighton-pride-parade-rerouted-over-suspect-package-on-seafront">a bomb scare</a> could stop 160,000 people taking to the sunny streets of Brighton to celebrate all things LGBT in the city’s 25th annual Pride parade<br></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/01/brighton-prides-25th-anniversary-parade-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>LGBT rightsBrightonPhotographyUK newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 22:50:20 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/aug/01/brighton-prides-25th-anniversary-parade-in-picturesPhotograph: Tabatha Fireman/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Tabatha Fireman/Getty ImagesGuardian Staff2015-08-01T22:50:20ZCreative young Brits are quitting London for affordable Berlinhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/creative-young-brits-quit-london-affordable-berlin
More and more burnt-out Londoners are embracing the laid-back cool – and much lower cost of living – of the German capital<p>The building that houses Agora, tucked away in a small side-street in residential Neuk&ouml;lln, in an old lock-making factory, is easy to ignore.</p><p>Outside a handful of people in their late twenties and early thirties are milling about, smoking, working on their MacBook Airs, chatting. On the short walk from the front gate to the front door snippets of three different conversations in English can be heard. Inside is a sea of laptops on desks, with workers fuelled by cortados, flat whites and a daily changing menu, written in English; a woman with a strong German accent orders a coffee in English, because the woman behind the counter doesn’t speak German.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/creative-young-brits-quit-london-affordable-berlin">Continue reading...</a>GermanyBerlinEuropeLondonWorld newsExpat financeMoneyUK newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 22:30:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/creative-young-brits-quit-london-affordable-berlinPhotograph: AlamyThousands of Brits have moved to Berlin, which is popular with 'young, creative' people. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyThousands of Brits have moved to Berlin, which is popular with 'young, creative' people. Photograph: AlamyJohanna Kamradt2015-08-01T22:30:04ZLondon is a ‘danger zone’ for Putin’s Russian criticshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/no-one-in-london-is-safe-from-reach-of-kremlin-says-friend-of-litvinenko
<p>An ally of Alexander Litvinenko says unsolved cases point to a culture of impunity for killers of dissidents</p><p>London has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world for critics of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, with “no one safe” from the reach of the Kremlin, according to one of Alexander Litvinenko’s closest confidants.</p><p>Yuri Felshtinsky, a historian <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2007/jan/21/politics">who co-wrote the book<em> Blowing Up Russia</em> </a>with the former secret agent, said the capital had gone from being a safe haven for Russian expatriates to being dangerous for opponents of Putin.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/no-one-in-london-is-safe-from-reach-of-kremlin-says-friend-of-litvinenko">Continue reading...</a>Alexander LitvinenkoRussiaVladimir PutinUK newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 22:01:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/no-one-in-london-is-safe-from-reach-of-kremlin-says-friend-of-litvinenkoPhotograph: Peter Nicholls/ReutersMarina Litvinenko, the widow of murdered KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, outside the high court in central London. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/ReutersPhotograph: Peter Nicholls/ReutersMarina Litvinenko, the widow of murdered KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, outside the high court in central London. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/ReutersMark Townsend Home affairs editor2015-08-01T22:01:05ZHunt is on for 33 slave ships off coast of Papua New Guineahttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/slave-ships-papua-new-guinea-hunt-burmese-men-trawler
Immigration officials seek trawler fleet crewed by 1,000 trafficked Burmese men that is thought likely to be supplying the UK with seafood<p>A fleet of at least 30 fishing trawlers crewed by slaves is being hunted off the coast of Papua New Guinea as the true extent becomes apparent of the trafficking of Burmese men by a massive Thai-run criminal syndicate operating throughout the East Indies.</p><p>Immigration officials have so far intercepted one of the fishing vessels, called the Blissful Reefer, and rescued its trafficked crew. Another 33 Thai trawlers thought to be crewed by slaves are being tracked in fishing grounds off the south coast of Papua New Guinea, known locally as the Dog Leg.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/slave-ships-papua-new-guinea-hunt-burmese-men-trawler">Continue reading...</a>SlaveryPapua New GuineaAsia PacificWorld newsBurmaSouth and Central AsiaFishingFoodSat, 01 Aug 2015 21:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/slave-ships-papua-new-guinea-hunt-burmese-men-trawlerPhotograph: Dita Alangkara/APBurmese fishermen on Benjina in April raising their hands on being asked which of them wanted to go home.Photograph: Dita Alangkara/APBurmese fishermen on Benjina in April raising their hands on being asked which of them wanted to go home.Mark Townsend2015-08-01T21:00:00ZChurch attacks David Cameron’s lack of compassion over asylum crisishttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/church-attacks-david-cameron-language-asylum-crisis
<p>Bishop of Dover pleads for PM to ‘rediscover what it is to be human’ as No 10 reveals a joint plan with France to boost security around Eurotunnel</p><p>The Church of England has made a dramatic intervention in the migrant crisis, delivering a stern rebuke to David Cameron for his “unhelpful” rhetoric.<br /></p><p>Speaking with the backing of the church, the bishop of Dover accused senior political figures, including the prime minister, of forgetting their humanity and attacked elements of the media for <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/30/the-only-migrant-madness-is-the-tabloid-pretence-about-events-in-calais">propagating a “toxicity”</a> designed to spread antipathy towards migrants.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/church-attacks-david-cameron-language-asylum-crisis">Continue reading...</a>MigrationImmigration and asylumWorld newsFranceEuropeDavid CameronPoliticsUK newsAnglicanismSat, 01 Aug 2015 20:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/church-attacks-david-cameron-language-asylum-crisisPhotograph: Rob Stothard/Getty ImagesMigrants walk towards the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Rob Stothard/Getty ImagesMigrants walk towards the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty ImagesMark Townsend and Daniel Boffey in London and Emma Graham-Harrison in Calais2015-08-01T20:00:01ZMH370: flaperon arrives in France as search for truth switches to defence labhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/search-truth-about-mh370-switches-france-flaperon-flown-toulouse
<p>The debris washed up on Réunion will be driven from Paris to the defence laboratory in Toulouse for confirmation that it belonged to the Boeing 777 missing since March 2014</p><p>Investigators in Toulouse are hoping to unlock the mystery of the disappeared Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 as the piece of plane wreckage found washed up on a beach on the Indian Ocean island of R&eacute;union arrived in France for official identification.<br /></p><p>The two-metre, barnacle-encrusted chunk of metal debris which emerged from the sea this week has raised hopes of discovering what happened to the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight which mysteriously disappeared from radars last March, vanishing without trace with 239 people on board. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/search-truth-about-mh370-switches-france-flaperon-flown-toulouse">Continue reading...</a>Malaysia Airlines flight MH370World newsFranceRéunionEuropeMalaysiaAsia PacificAir transportPlane crashesSat, 01 Aug 2015 16:12:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/search-truth-about-mh370-switches-france-flaperon-flown-toulousePhotograph: ZINFOS974/EPAPhotograph: ZINFOS974/EPAAngelique Chrisafis in Paris, Oliver Holmes in Bangkok and Gillian Parker in Réunion2015-08-01T16:12:25ZThe unexpected beauty of manhole covers around the world - in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/31/beauty-urban-manhole-covers-world-drains-in-pictures
<p>Drain covers mark the entrances to underground tunnels and shafts that shift utilities around the urban environment. While most are plain and functional, many cities add a touch of local flair to brighten up the streets beneath our feet</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/31/beauty-urban-manhole-covers-world-drains-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>CitiesArt and designWorld newsJapanAsiaCultureTravelUS newsFri, 31 Jul 2015 08:54:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/31/beauty-urban-manhole-covers-world-drains-in-picturesPhotograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyGuardian Staff2015-07-31T08:54:05ZThe night-time hunt for the secretive urban slender loris of Bangalorehttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/31/urban-slender-loris-bangalore-india-animal
<p>Implausibly, this elusive nocturnal animal has somehow survived in Bangalore, a mushrooming megacity of 10 million people. But a catastrophic loss of trees in what was formerly known as India’s ‘garden city’ threatens their future</p><p>It’s 7pm on a Saturday night and a park in the heart of the city is teeming with people. The pathways are crammed with jostling walkers, park benches are spilling over with couples and senior citizens. In all the bustle, a group of people carefully trail the walkway armed with torches that they shine across the park’s treetops. They’re looking for something. They find ant nests, a spotted owlet and bats hanging upside down – but they keep moving. They reach the end of the park’s walkway and a swathe of light from a torch hits a tall tree outside the park boundary. A pair of eyes glowing in the dark stare back and begin floating in the dark. They’ve found what they’re looking for – a small and extremely elusive furry creature – a slender loris. With wide, unblinking eyes and long, skinny limbs, these peculiar squirrel-sized primates live on trees in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka.</p><p>But the park where the group spots the loris is far from a pristine forest. The roundabout next to it is clogged with traffic, drowned in a cacophony of horns and city noises. Bangalore, known as India’s Silicon Valley, is one of the world’s <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-05-20/news/62413546_1_global-cities-index-100-smart-cities-gci">fastest-growing cities</a> with a population of 10 million. <br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/31/urban-slender-loris-bangalore-india-animal">Continue reading...</a>CitiesGreen spaceIndiaEnvironmentAnimal behaviourAnimalsWorld newsAnimal welfareSouth and Central AsiaBiologyScienceFri, 31 Jul 2015 05:00:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/31/urban-slender-loris-bangalore-india-animalPhotograph: Kalyan VarmaDespite Bangalore’s relentless urbanisation, the slender loris has survived by modifying its behaviour.Photograph: Kalyan VarmaDespite Bangalore’s relentless urbanisation, the slender loris has survived by modifying its behaviour.Elizabeth Soumya2015-07-31T05:00:12ZWhat's the hottest subway station in New York City?http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/30/hottest-subway-station-new-york-city-rush-hour
<p>As the temperatures in Manhattan pushed above 30C, New York public radio station WNYC measured the sweatiest metro stops at rush hour</p><p>Are, all around, people looking half-dead? Is walking on the sidewalk hotter than a match head? There’s certainly no doubt that as temperature in Manhattan pushes into the low 90s/30s, one of the biggest sweatboxes is the subway. But how sweaty are we talking? Science knows no limits, as New York public radio proved by braving the heat and rush hour last night in order to find the hottest and coolest stations in the city.</p><p>The WNYC reporters visited 103 stops – every subway station in Manhattan south of Central Park, plus a handful in Brooklyn and Queens. At each stop they took a temperature reading at the platform surface, a reasonable distance away from the air conditioning of the trains. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/30/hottest-subway-station-new-york-city-rush-hour">Continue reading...</a>CitiesCity transportNew YorkUS newsSummerEnvironmentWorld newsUS weatherThu, 30 Jul 2015 16:46:31 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/30/hottest-subway-station-new-york-city-rush-hourPhotograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/GettyAir conditioning on the New York subway.Chris Michael2015-07-30T16:46:31ZA tour of abandoned New Orleans, 10 years after Katrina - in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/30/abandoned-new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-in-pictures
<p>A decade after Hurricane Katrina, abandoned homes, schools and factories still blot some New Orleans neighbourhoods. Photographer <strong>Seph Lawless</strong>, who specialises in documenting the ruins of forgotten America, paid a visit</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-10-years-lessons">10 years after the storm: has New Orleans learned the lessons of Katrina?</a><br></li></ul> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/30/abandoned-new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>CitiesNew OrleansHurricane KatrinaUS newsWorld newsHurricanesUrban explorationNatural disasters and extreme weatherNew OrleansNorth and Central AmericaUnited StatesTravelThu, 30 Jul 2015 11:13:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/30/abandoned-new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-in-picturesPhotograph: Seph Lawless for the GuardianPhotograph: Seph Lawless for the GuardianGuardian Staff2015-07-30T11:13:55ZKiruna: the arctic city being knocked down and relocated two miles awayhttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/30/kiruna-the-arctic-city-being-knocked-down-and-relocated-two-miles-away
<p>To avoid falling into the mine it grew up around, Sweden’s northernmost city is knocking down 3,000 homes, schools and a hospital, and starting a redesigned centre a safe distance away. How do citizens feel about the transformation?</p><p>A remote arctic settlement, with a centre dominated by a car park, Kiruna feels like the sort of city that might be forgotten about. The place is eerily, unnervingly quiet; the streets so empty I half expect a tumbleweed to pass by as a punchline. At one point, the gentle silence is broken by a procession of Harley-Davidsons roaring through the town. They don’t seem to stop.</p><p>This is Sweden’s northernmost city, situated 90 miles into the Arctic Circle and a 75-mile drive away from the nearest town, G&auml;llivare. Home to about 23,000 people and 11,000 snowmobiles, Kiruna has gained an unlikely fame over the past year, as the world hears of its plans. This remote and rather unprepossessing place is to become the city that gets moved: two miles to the east, to be precise. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/30/kiruna-the-arctic-city-being-knocked-down-and-relocated-two-miles-away">Continue reading...</a>CitiesSwedenWorld newsMiningEuropeArchitectureHousingEnvironmentThu, 30 Jul 2015 06:30:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/30/kiruna-the-arctic-city-being-knocked-down-and-relocated-two-miles-awayPhotograph: Nordicphotos/AlamyThe city of Kiruna as seen from its mine.Photograph: Nordicphotos/AlamyThe city of Kiruna as seen from its mine.Francesca Perry in Kiruna2015-07-30T06:30:14ZHow Groningen invented a cycling template for cities all over the worldhttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/29/how-groningen-invented-a-cycling-template-for-cities-all-over-the-world
<p>Motorists woke up one mid-70s morning to find new one-way streets made direct crosstown journeys impossible by car. Forty years later Groningen boasts two-thirds of all trips made by bike … and the cleanest air of any big Dutch city</p><p>Traffic lights with rain sensors to give quicker priority to cyclists on wet days … Heated cycle paths so cyclists won’t slip during bouts of frost … This might sound like science fiction to you, but in the Dutch city of Groningen it will soon be everyday reality. </p><p>The inhabitants of this lively northern university city regard their homestead as the cycling capital of the Netherlands. They might very well be right: 61% of all trips in Groningen are made by bicycle, rising to more than 70% for <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=nl&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fgemeente.groningen.nl%2Fmobiliteit%2Fgroningen-geeft-ruimte-aan-de-fiets&amp;sandbox=1">trips made to educational institutions</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/29/how-groningen-invented-a-cycling-template-for-cities-all-over-the-world">Continue reading...</a>CitiesNetherlandsCyclingLife and styleNetherlandsWorld newsTravelEuropeEuropeWed, 29 Jul 2015 06:30:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/29/how-groningen-invented-a-cycling-template-for-cities-all-over-the-worldPhotograph: AlamyIn Groningen, an estimated 61% of all trips are made by bicycle.Photograph: AlamyIn Groningen, an estimated 61% of all trips are made by bicycle.Renate van der Zee2015-07-29T06:30:02ZWelcome to Astana, Kazakhstan: one of the strangest capital cities on Earthhttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/28/astana-kazakhstan-strangest-capital-cities-on-earth
<p>The flashy buildings of Astana rise up implausibly from the flat plains of oil-rich Kazakhstan to form a city stuck between a Soviet past and an aspirational present</p><p>Of all places, why put a city here? From the aeroplane window it’s more of the same: flat, empty and endlessly vast. At 30,000 feet, a few lonely lakes polka-dot the landscape. There is no evidence of human activity. There are scarcely any trees and few distinguishing landmarks. On and on it goes – <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a> is the size of western Europe, and so unremittingly flat, it’s as if some gigantic plasterer has skimmed the land. Here wolves outnumber people. Little wonder the Soviets chose this vast emptiness to hide their Gulags and their space programme, and to test their nuclear weapons. Much of it radioactive, it’s an agoraphobic’s vision of hell.</p><p>And then, out of nowhere, Astana comes glistening into view, all shiny metal and glass, implausibly rising up from the Kazakh steppe like some post-modern lego set that has stumbled into the opening sequence of Dallas. Welcome to Astana, one of the strangest capital cities on earth.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/28/astana-kazakhstan-strangest-capital-cities-on-earth">Continue reading...</a>CitiesKazakhstanWorld newsSouth and Central AsiaTue, 28 Jul 2015 06:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/28/astana-kazakhstan-strangest-capital-cities-on-earthPhotograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty ImagesOne look at Astana and you can see where the oil money has gone.Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty ImagesOne look at Astana and you can see where the oil money has gone.Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty ImagesGiles Fraser and Marina Kim in Astana2015-07-28T06:00:08ZThe insider's cultural guide to Hargeisa, 'the mother of Somali arts'http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/insider-cultural-guide-hargeisa-somalia-arts-east-africa
<p>East Africa’s biggest book fair and a packed cultural calendar jostle for space with bleating camels and peaceful hills in Somalia’s second-biggest city</p><p>Sunny, peaceful, surrounded by hills</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/insider-cultural-guide-hargeisa-somalia-arts-east-africa">Continue reading...</a>Insider's cultural guidesCitiesSomaliaTravelAfricaAfricaMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsCultureMon, 27 Jul 2015 12:45:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/insider-cultural-guide-hargeisa-somalia-arts-east-africaPhotograph: Barkhad KaariyeA memorial in Hargeisa marks Somaliland’s breakaway attempt in the 1980s.Photograph: Barkhad KaariyeA memorial in Hargeisa marks Somaliland’s breakaway attempt in the 1980s.Barkhad Kaariye2015-07-27T12:45:07Z10 years after the storm: has New Orleans learned the lessons of Hurricane Katrina?http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-10-years-lessons
<p><strong>Special report</strong> A decade after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, David Uberti goes in search of the people who were at the heart of its recovery, to understand what the city has gone through – and where it might be heading<br></p><p>Maggie Carroll couldn’t sleep – not after what she had read earlier in the day. It was 11 January 2006, four months after the deadly floods triggered by Hurricane Katrina had swallowed many of New Orleans’ neighbourhoods.</p><p>Carroll and her husband were among the first to return after the storm and take stock of theirs, Broadmoor, a low-lying area whose raised bungalows and colourful shotgun houses had been inundated by up to 10 feet of water. The Carrolls’ home on Walmsley Avenue had been left structurally sound; its wood floors didn’t buckle. Still, the water had picked up pieces of furniture, carried them across rooms and left them ruined. It broke up the back deck and crushed the garage door, before submerging Maggie’s grandfather’s 1963 Chevy.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-10-years-lessons">Continue reading...</a>CitiesHurricane KatrinaNew OrleansUS newsWorld newsNatural disasters and extreme weatherHurricanesSocietyMon, 27 Jul 2015 05:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/27/new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-10-years-lessonsPhotograph: Smiley N Pool/APPhotograph: Smiley N Pool/APDavid Uberti in New Orleans2015-07-27T05:00:05ZHow megacities compare: China plans a city 25 times the size of Londonhttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/shortcuts/2015/jul/26/jing-jin-ji-chinese-megacity-25-times-size-of-london
<p>A new northern powerhouse envisaged by Chinese state planners will have a population of 130 million<br><br></p><p>If we want to talk excitedly about <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/the-northerner/2015/may/14/george-osborne-northern-powerhouse-devolution-manchester" title="">Britain’s northern powerhouse</a>, we should try not to think about China’s. Both countries have a problem with their overweening south – the core of which is London in the UK, and is split between Chongqing, Guangzhou/Hong Kong and Shanghai in China. But whereas a megacity made up of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds would have a population of around 15 million and might squeak into the world’s 20 largest, the Chinese equivalent – <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/world/asia/china-beijing-city-planning-population.html" title="">Jing-jin-ji</a> – offers a vastness you only expect to contemplate in science fiction.</p><p>As envisaged by Chinese state planners, the new urban area would combine the cultural and hi-tech industries of Beijing, which has just announced its part of the strategy, with Tianjin’s port facilities and the resources of the surrounding province of Hebei, or Ji as it is known. Hence Jing-jin-ji. Currently the area has a population of approximately 130 million people, which is about the same as Britain and France combined, or 41% of the United States. Its area of 212,379 sq km is difficult to comprehend, so traditionalists might like to think of it as just over the size of 10 Waleses. Or, to put it another way, Jing-jin-ji will be about the same size as Scotland and England stuck together. Which, for the time being, they are.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/shortcuts/2015/jul/26/jing-jin-ji-chinese-megacity-25-times-size-of-london">Continue reading...</a>CitiesChinaAsia PacificWorld newsSun, 26 Jul 2015 17:00:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/shortcuts/2015/jul/26/jing-jin-ji-chinese-megacity-25-times-size-of-londonPhotograph: GuardianPhotograph: GuardianLeo Benedictus2015-07-26T17:00:10Z‘I drank the water and ate the fish. We all did. The acid has damaged me permanently’http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/01/zambia-vedanta-pollution-village-copper-mine
In the villages near Africa’s biggest copper mine, you can smell and taste the pollution. As a legal battle against metals giant Vedanta/KCM reaches London, villagers in Chingola, Zambia, tell of blighted lives and a looming catastrophe<p>You can’t see the old Chingola copper mine, with its smelter and refinery, from the village of Shimulala. It’s miles away, beyond 300ft-high hills of waste tailings, the leach plant, the main pollution control dam and the 1,600ft-deep open pit that is one of Africa’s largest holes.</p><p>But you can smell and taste the pollution from the biggest copper mine in Africa. If you pump a glass of water from the borehole outside the little church in Shimulala, you will see it is bright yellow, smells of sulphur and tastes vile.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/01/zambia-vedanta-pollution-village-copper-mine">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentZambiaMiningPollutionRiversAfricaWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 01 Aug 2015 21:30:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/01/zambia-vedanta-pollution-village-copper-minePhotograph: John Vidal for the Observer/John VidalFarmer Langsu Mumbelunga in his polluted field near the Mushishima stream, Zambia. Photograph: John Vidal for the ObserverPhotograph: John Vidal for the Observer/John VidalFarmer Langsu Mumbelunga in his polluted field near the Mushishima stream, Zambia. Photograph: John Vidal for the ObserverJohn Vidal2015-08-01T21:30:03ZZambian villagers take mining giant Vedanta to court in UK over toxic leakshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/01/vedanta-zambia-copper-mining-toxic-leaks
Fears of environmental catastrophe as report finds ‘constant contamination’ of streams around copper mine while locals report health problems and failed crops<p>A London-listed mining giant has been polluting the drinking water of villages in Zambia and threatening a wider health disaster, the <em>Observer</em> has found.</p><p>Leaked documents and a confidential internal report commissioned from Canadian pollution control experts show that Vedanta Resources’ giant mine in Zambia’s Copperbelt region has been spilling sulphuric acid and other toxic chemicals into rivers, streams and underground aquifers used for drinking water near the mining town of Chingola.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/01/vedanta-zambia-copper-mining-toxic-leaks">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentZambiaMiningPollutionRiversWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 21:35:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/01/vedanta-zambia-copper-mining-toxic-leaksPhotograph: John Vidal/ObserverWater from a borehole drilled by KCM at Shimulala village, Zambia. Photograph: John Vidal for the ObserverPhotograph: John Vidal/ObserverWater from a borehole drilled by KCM at Shimulala village, Zambia. Photograph: John Vidal for the ObserverJohn Vidal Chingola, Zambia2015-08-01T21:35:03ZIndia's Missing art project offers stark reminder of girls taken into sexual slavery – in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/aug/01/missing-india-art-project-girls-disappearing-sexual-slavery-prostitution-in-pictures
<p>Each year in India tens of thousands of girls go missing in a country where an estimated <a href="http://www.dfn.org.uk/sextrafficking">1.2 million children</a> work in the sex industry. Many are abducted by commercial sex traffickers and forced into prostitution. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1672483606315017/">Missing</a>, a nationwide public art project launched by the artist <a href="http://www.leenakejriwal.com/">Leena Kejriwal</a> as a memorial to victims of sexual slavery, now has hundreds of participants in cities across India</p><p><strong>Photographs: Jessica Bachman</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/aug/01/missing-india-art-project-girls-disappearing-sexual-slavery-prostitution-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentWomenIndiaSouth and Central AsiaArtGenderArt and designSat, 01 Aug 2015 08:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/aug/01/missing-india-art-project-girls-disappearing-sexual-slavery-prostitution-in-picturesPhotograph: Jessica BachmanJessica Bachman in Kolkata2015-08-01T08:00:05ZEbola vaccine trial success in Guinea could end epidemic – in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/jul/31/guinea-ebola-vaccine-trial-in-pictures
<p>An end to the Ebola epidemic in west Africa could be in sight after successful trials involving 4,000 people in Guinea. Employing a technique known as ‘ring vaccination’, which was used in the 1970s to eradicate smallpox, researchers vaccinated family, friends and neighbours of Ebola patients as well as their immediate contacts. The trial was sponsored by the World Health Organisation</p><p><strong>All photographs by Sean Hawkey</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/jul/31/guinea-ebola-vaccine-trial-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentEbolaGuineaVaccines and immunisationAfricaHealthWorld newsFri, 31 Jul 2015 16:46:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/jul/31/guinea-ebola-vaccine-trial-in-picturesPhotograph: Sean HawkeyGuardian Staff2015-07-31T16:46:17ZPeople smuggling: how it works, who benefits and how it can be stopped | Clár Ní Chonghailehttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/31/people-smuggling-how-works-who-benefits-and-how-to-put-stop
<p>Migrants who risk all in search of a better life are easy prey for people smugglers, whose unscrupulous activities have created a criminal industry worth billions</p><p>One of the most distressing elements of the worldwide migrant crisis is that people who have risked all for a better life should be held to ransom by smugglers.</p><p>The lines between migration and human trafficking all too easily converge. While migration implies a level of individual choice, migrants are sometimes detained and even tortured by the people they pay to lead them across borders.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/31/people-smuggling-how-works-who-benefits-and-how-to-put-stop">Continue reading...</a>Migration and developmentMigrationGlobal developmentWorld newsRefugeesHuman traffickingFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:16:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/31/people-smuggling-how-works-who-benefits-and-how-to-put-stopPhotograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty ImagesPalestinians mourning the loss of compatriots who boarded a boat to Europe that was intentionally capsized by traffickers last September cast roses in to the Mediterranean sea.Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty ImagesPalestinians mourning the loss of compatriots who boarded a boat to Europe that was intentionally capsized by traffickers last September cast roses in to the Mediterranean sea.Clár Ní Chonghaile2015-07-31T13:16:40ZCounting the cost of the Boko Haram crisis - podcasthttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/audio/2015/jul/25/boko-haram-niger-nigeria-podcast
Attacks by Boko Haram in south-east Niger have created a humanitarian crisis. Lucy Lamble visited the country's Diffa region to speak to people displaced by the violence and investigate relief efforts<p><strong>Lucy Lamble</strong> reports from Niger for this edition of the Global development podcast, which examines how the Boko Haram crisis has affected the country's Diffa region. We talk to Nigeriens displaced by the militant group's activities, investigate the social and economic toll of the growing humanitarian crisis as people flee the area, and look at the measures being taken to address the situation by the newly elected Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari. </p><p><strong>Benoit Thiry</strong>, country director for the World Food Programme, talks about the challenges involved in dealing with Boko Haram. <strong>Yacouba Soumana Gaoh</strong>, the governor of the Diffa region, outlines the local response and elaborates on the difficulties of policing such a vast area, while <strong>Michel Hulais</strong>, head of the World Food Programme's sub-office in Diffa, discusses what is being done to ward off the growing threat of malnutrition. We also hear from <strong>Guiseppe Loprete</strong>, head of Niger operations for the International Organisation for Migration, who describes how the prevailing climate of fear and violence driving people away. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/audio/2015/jul/25/boko-haram-niger-nigeria-podcast">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentBoko HaramNigerNigeriaChadObama administrationHumanitarian responseRefugeesInternally displaced peopleAfricaThu, 30 Jul 2015 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/audio/2015/jul/25/boko-haram-niger-nigeria-podcastPius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty ImagesMuhammadu Buhari waves to the crowds at the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) convention in Lagos on Thursday. Photograph: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty ImagesReporter Lucy Lamble, producer Kary Stewart2015-07-30T12:00:00ZAfrican rich get richer even as poverty grows and inequality deepens | Ami Sedghi and Mark Andersonhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jul/31/africa-wealth-report-2015-rich-get-richer-poverty-grows-and-inequality-deepens-new-world-wealth
<p>Campaign group criticises development strategies as research shows the number of millionaires in Africa has more than doubled since 2000</p><p>Africa is now home to more than 160,000 people with personal fortunes worth in excess of $1m (&pound;642,000), a twofold increase in the number of wealthy individuals since the turn of the century that highlights the problem of deepening inequality as some of the world’s poorest nations register strong economic growth.</p><p>The combined wealth holdings of high-net-worth individuals – those with net assets of $1m or more – in Africa totalled $660bn at the end of 2014, according to a <a href="http://www.nw-wealth.com/">report by New World Wealth</a>, a South African market research firm. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jul/31/africa-wealth-report-2015-rich-get-richer-poverty-grows-and-inequality-deepens-new-world-wealth">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentGovernanceAfricaRich listsSouth AfricaZimbabweAngolaMauritiusDemocratic Republic of the CongoFri, 31 Jul 2015 14:02:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jul/31/africa-wealth-report-2015-rich-get-richer-poverty-grows-and-inequality-deepens-new-world-wealthPhotograph: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesDiners sit on the terrace of the luxury Cais de Quatro restaurant, overlooking the city skyline in the Angolan capital Luanda.Ami Sedghi and Mark Anderson2015-07-31T14:02:11ZMalawi's forests going up in smoke as tobacco industry takes heavy toll | John Vidalhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/31/malawi-tobacco-industry-deforestation-chinkhoma
<p>Malawi is reliant on tobacco for 60% of foreign earnings, but while demand is falling the cost of environmental damage caused by the industry is rising</p><p>For cigarette smokers and tobacco growers, the sight – and sweet smell – of the Chinkhoma auction house near Kasungu in central Malawi is heaven. Tens of thousands of metre-cubed bales of golden leaf, each with enough tobacco to make more than 50,000 cigarettes, cover the floor of a warehouse the size of three football fields.</p><p>Malawi, <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/07/01/new-world-bank-update-shows-bangladesh-kenya-myanmar-and-tajikistan-as-middle-income-while-south-sudan-falls-back-to-low-income">now the poorest country in the world</a> according to the World Bank, depends on tobacco as a cash crop. Chinkhoma, in the heart of the tobacco-growing Central region, is where much of it is sold before being exported and made into cigarettes.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/31/malawi-tobacco-industry-deforestation-chinkhoma">Continue reading...</a>Natural resources and developmentGlobal developmentMalawiTobacco industryDeforestationSmokingAfricaTrees and forestsFri, 31 Jul 2015 06:00:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/31/malawi-tobacco-industry-deforestation-chinkhomaPhotograph: Amos Gumulira/AFP/Getty ImagesBuyers at a Malawi auction house inspect tobacco, a crop that takes up more than 5% of the country’s farming land.John Vidal in Kasungu2015-07-31T06:00:16ZCivilians and hospitals targeted in Yemen air strikes, warns medical charityhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/yemen-civilians-hospitals-targeted-air-strikes-bombing-medecins-sans-frontieres
<p>Médecins Sans Frontières chief says bombing of medical facilities is denying thousands treatment, while naval blockade obstructs vital supplies</p><p>The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/yemen-ground-fighting-rages-after-airstrikes-pause/2015/07/27/34ff2c54-3449-11e5-b835-61ddaa99c73e_story.html">ongoing air strikes</a> and deliberate targeting of civilians and healthworkers in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/yemen">Yemen</a> are jeopardising humanitarian operations in the country, denying thousands of people basic medical care, the head of <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/">M&eacute;decins Sans Fronti&egrave;res (MSF)</a> has warned.<br /></p><p>Dr Joanne Liu, MSF’s international president, said the bombing by the Saudi-led coalition and the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/07/29/yemen-houthi-artillery-kills-dozens-aden">shelling by the Shia Houthi rebels</a> were increasingly targeting densely populated civilian areas and making it more difficult for her staff to do their jobs.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/yemen-civilians-hospitals-targeted-air-strikes-bombing-medecins-sans-frontieres">Continue reading...</a>Conflict and developmentGlobal developmentYemenMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsFood securityNutrition and developmentThu, 30 Jul 2015 13:55:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/yemen-civilians-hospitals-targeted-air-strikes-bombing-medecins-sans-frontieresPhotograph: Xinhua /Landov /Barcroft MediaPeople gather at a market destroyed in air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Sana’a, Yemen, on 20 July.Photograph: Xinhua /Landov /Barcroft MediaPeople gather at a market destroyed in air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Sana’a, Yemen, on 20 July.Sam Jones2015-07-30T13:55:46ZTrafficking victims often treated as illegal immigrants first, human beings lasthttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/trafficking-victims-treated-illegal-immigrants-modern-slavery-act
<p>We welcome the Modern Slavery Act, but it does not go far enough in ensuring that victims are believed, supported and treated with compassion</p><p>Perhaps some of those who watched the graphic film telling the story of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2015/jul/25/modern-day-slavery-abike-trafficked-sexual-slavery-video">Abike</a>, a Nigerian woman trafficked and sexually exploited in the UK, thought they were seeing a work of fiction. People are still shocked to think slavery exists right here under our noses. Yet Abike’s story is true and sadly, in the experience of those at the <a href="http://www.eavesforwomen.org.uk/about-eaves/our-projects/the-poppy-project">Poppy Project</a>, all too familiar. </p><p>The Poppy Project is part of <a href="http://www.eavesforwomen.org.uk/">Eaves for Women</a>, an organisation that has been assisting, supporting and advocating for female victims of human trafficking since 2003. Abike was one of our clients and her story was like so many that come to us every day, where truth is stranger and far more disturbing than fiction.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/trafficking-victims-treated-illegal-immigrants-modern-slavery-act">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentSlaveryWorld newsHuman traffickingLawThu, 30 Jul 2015 12:15:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/trafficking-victims-treated-illegal-immigrants-modern-slavery-actPhotograph: PositiveNegativesIrina Do Carmo2015-07-30T12:15:47ZUkraine agribusiness firms in 'quiet land grab' with development finance | Claire Provost and Matt Kennardhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/ukraine-agribusiness-firms-quiet-land-grab-development-finance
<p>Hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from World Bank’s private lending arm used to expand industrial farms amid mounting concern about local effects</p><p>Hundreds of millions of dollars in development finance from the World Bank’s investment arm have helped to fund the controversial expansion of a billionaire’s agribusiness empire in Ukraine, amid growing concern that land and farming in the country are increasingly falling into the hands of a few wealthy individuals.</p><p>Controlled by one of Ukraine’s wealthiest men, Yuriy Kosiuk, the agribusiness company <a draggable="true" href="http://www.mhp.com.ua/en/home">Myronivsky Hliboproduct</a> (MHP) dominates the country’s domestic poultry market and exports chicken and luxuries such as foie gras across Europe. Since 2010, it has received at least $200m (&pound;128m) in long-term loans from the bank’s <a draggable="true" href="http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/corp_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/home">International Finance Corporation (IFC)</a>.<br tabindex="-1" /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/ukraine-agribusiness-firms-quiet-land-grab-development-finance">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentUkraineEuropeWorld newsWorld BankFarmingThu, 30 Jul 2015 06:00:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/30/ukraine-agribusiness-firms-quiet-land-grab-development-financePhotograph: Noll/AlamyMyronivsky Hliboproduct, a leading agribusiness firm that dominates the Ukrainian poultry market, has received at least £128m from the International Finance Corporation over the past five years.Claire Provost in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, and Matt Kennard2015-07-30T06:00:16ZGlobal population set to hit 9.7 billion people by 2050 despite fall in fertilityhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/un-world-population-prospects-the-2015-revision-9-7-billion-2050-fertility
<p>Predicted increase of 2.4 billion will complicate efforts to stamp out poverty, inequality and hunger and place further strain on health and education systems </p><p>Despite a continuing slowdown in the rate of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/population">population</a> growth, it is “almost inevitable” that the number of people on the planet will rise from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion in 2050, according to the latest <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/unitednations">UN</a> projections.</p><p>Ten years ago, the world population was growing by 1.24% annually; today, the percentage has dropped to 1.18% – or roughly another 83 million people a year. The overall growth rate, which peaked in the late 1960s, has been falling steadily since the 1970s.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/un-world-population-prospects-the-2015-revision-9-7-billion-2050-fertility">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentEnvironmental sustainabilityHungerMalnutritionPovertyHealthUnited NationsPopulationWorld newsIndiaNigeriaPakistanDemocratic Republic of the CongoEthiopiaTanzaniaUS newsIndonesiaUgandaAfricaAsia PacificSouth and Central AsiaWed, 29 Jul 2015 16:31:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/un-world-population-prospects-the-2015-revision-9-7-billion-2050-fertilityPhotograph: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty ImagesBabies rest at the Pouponnière orphanage in the Senegalese capital Dakar. The world’s population is set to rise to almost 10 billion people by 2050, according to the UN.Sam Jones and Mark Anderson2015-07-29T16:31:03ZRampant corruption in Tanzania keeps fruits of the many in hands of the few | Hannah McNeishhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/tanzania-corruption-aid-poster-sellers
<p>Fears are growing that endemic graft in Tanzania will deny the majority of its people a fair share of the wealth generated by the country’s natural gas riches </p><p>In Dar es Salaam, framed posters of Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, top the list of street-side bestsellers, outstripping images of Pope Francis, Jesus, Barack Obama and the country’s founding father, Julius Nyerere.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/08/tanzania-laws-curb-free-speech-social-media-jamii-forums">Tanzania accused of making laws on the hoof in 'Kafkaesque' curb on free speech | Hannah McNeish</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/tanzania-corruption-aid-poster-sellers">Continue reading...</a>GovernanceGlobal developmentTanzaniaAfricaWed, 29 Jul 2015 10:46:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/tanzania-corruption-aid-poster-sellersPhotograph: Tim Wege/AlamyCorruption claims are commonplace in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere in Tanzania, where presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled due to take place in October.Hannah McNeish in Dar es Salaam2015-07-29T10:46:34ZJust growing more food won't help to feed the world | Richard Ewbankhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/growing-more-food-wont-help-feed-world-agriculture-climate-resilient
<p>The rush to increase production has caused catastrophic environmental degradation – we need to make agriculture climate-resilient and more efficient </p><p>The World Bank’s view that we need to <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2014/11/24/global-agriculture-food-security-grants-hunger-poverty">grow 50% more food by 2050</a> to feed 9 billion people, while finding ways to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture at the same time, ignores one very simple fact – we already grow <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10440046.2012.695331#.Vbem12bd79I">enough food for 10 billion people</a>.</p><p>But a combination of storage losses after harvest, overconsumption and waste mean that some <a href="https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats">800 million</a> people in developing countries are malnourished.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/growing-more-food-wont-help-feed-world-agriculture-climate-resilient">Continue reading...</a>Food securityGlobal developmentClimate changeEnvironmentNutrition and developmentSustainable development goalsEnvironmental sustainabilityThe future of developmentWed, 29 Jul 2015 06:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/29/growing-more-food-wont-help-feed-world-agriculture-climate-resilientPhotograph: Channi Anand/APAn Indian farmer stands on a parched paddy field in Ranbir Singh Pura, near Jammu, India.Richard Ewbank2015-07-29T06:00:03ZStop arbitrary deportations of Dominicans of Haitian descent, says UNhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/stop-arbitrary-deportations-dominicans-haitian-descent-united-nations
<p>A UN working group warns the government of the Dominican Republic that expulsions risk violating international laws as well as its own constitution </p><p>UN experts have called on the government of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/dominicanrepublic">Dominican Republic</a> to stop the “arbitrary deportations” of Dominicans of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/haiti">Haitian</a> descent, warning that its actions risk violating international laws as well as the country’s own constitution.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/WGAfricanDescent/Pages/WGEPADIndex.aspx">United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent</a> said the Dominican Republic also needed to address allegations that racial profiling was being used during the deportation of people of Haitian heritage.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/stop-arbitrary-deportations-dominicans-haitian-descent-united-nations">Continue reading...</a>GovernanceDominican RepublicGlobal developmentWorld newsHaitiTue, 28 Jul 2015 13:35:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/stop-arbitrary-deportations-dominicans-haitian-descent-united-nationsPhotograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesHaitians deported from the Dominican Republic take refuge in Fonds Parisien, Haiti, close to the border with Dominican Republic, on 20 June, 2015.Sam Jones2015-07-28T13:35:35ZDrones: a force for good when flying in the face of disasterhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/drones-flying-in-the-face-of-disaster-humanitarian-response
<p>Unmanned aircraft can be put to effective use in humanitarian situations, but a code of conduct is needed to make sure they are used safely and efficiently </p><p>After typhoon Haiyan <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/31/tacloban-a-year-after-typhoon-haiyan">wreaked havoc on the Philippines in 2013</a>, killing more than 6,300 people and destroying farms and villages, several relief groups flew drones over the affected areas to survey the damage, identify blocked roads and find displaced people.</p><p>But the drone operators didn’t share the information they gathered with local authorities or other relief organisations, says Patrick Meier, who was in Manila doing humanitarian work with the UN at the time. Many of the drone teams didn’t even know about one another, making their work inefficient and even dangerous.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/drones-flying-in-the-face-of-disaster-humanitarian-response">Continue reading...</a>Humanitarian responseGlobal developmentDrones (non-military)AidTechnologyTue, 28 Jul 2015 12:42:24 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/drones-flying-in-the-face-of-disaster-humanitarian-responsePhotograph: Pete Marovich/Getty ImagesA drone delivers supplies and medicine to thousands of people seeking dental and medical care at a clinic in the Wise county fairgrounds in Wise, Virginia. The flight was undertaken in part to study how the technology could be used in humanitarian crises around the world.Jennifer Hlad in Washington2015-07-28T12:42:24ZWithout trafficking, what would happen to global wealth and productivity? | Anne Gallagherhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/without-trafficking-global-wealth-productivity-trafficking-in-persons-report
<p>The US Trafficking in Persons report is a vital initiative, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. We need to address the deep economy of human exploitation</p><p>The past year will not be remembered as a great one in the history of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Its engaging, consensus-building chief, ambassador Luis CdeBaca, <a href="http://www.cfr.org/human-trafficking/no-one-steering-united-states-fight-against-human-trafficking/p33821">unexpectedly stepped aside in November</a>. In a delay that speaks volumes about the place of trafficking within the broader US political agenda, President Obama only got around to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/15/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts">nominating CdeBaca’s successor, Susan Coppedge</a>, last week. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/us-human-trafficking-in-persons-report-under-fire-cuba-malaysia-upgraded">US human trafficking report under fire as Cuba and Malaysia are upgraded</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/without-trafficking-global-wealth-productivity-trafficking-in-persons-report">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentMalaysiaCubaUS newsAmericasWorld newsTue, 28 Jul 2015 11:09:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/without-trafficking-global-wealth-productivity-trafficking-in-persons-reportPhotograph: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty ImagesIllegal migrants wait at the police headquarters in Langkawi in May 2015, after landing on Malaysian shores. Malaysia has been upgraded from the list of worst offenders in the 2015 Trafficking in Persons report.Anne Gallagher2015-07-28T11:09:47Z13 million people in Yemen are struggling to find enough to eat, Oxfam sayshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/13-million-people-yemen-struggling-find-enough-eat-oxfam-says-starvation
<p>Charity reports 6.5 million people on brink of starvation with medicines scarce and disease a growing threat, as five-day ceasefire shows signs of collapsing </p><p>Since March, nearly 25,000 people a day have slipped into hunger in Yemen, and every second person – or nearly 13 million people – is now struggling to find enough to eat, according to <a href="http://www.oxfam.org.uk/">Oxfam</a>.</p><p>Conflict, air strikes and a naval blockade have killed thousands in the country, and reduced people to begging and polishing shoes in rubble-filled cities where water, food and medicines are scarce and disease is a growing threat, aid workers say.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/13-million-people-yemen-struggling-find-enough-eat-oxfam-says-starvation">Continue reading...</a>Conflict and developmentGlobal developmentHumanitarian responseAidYemenSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsTue, 28 Jul 2015 06:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/28/13-million-people-yemen-struggling-find-enough-eat-oxfam-says-starvationPhotograph: Yahya Arhab/EPAA Yemeni child pulls two jerry cans filled with water past destroyed houses in Sana’a.Clár Ní Chonghaile2015-07-28T06:00:08ZUS human trafficking report under fire as Cuba and Malaysia are upgradedhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/us-human-trafficking-in-persons-report-under-fire-cuba-malaysia-upgraded
<p>US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons report removes Cuba and Malaysia from worst tier of offenders, sparking criticism over ‘political’ decisions</p><p>The United States is facing criticism after it removed Cuba and Malaysia from the US State Department’s list of the countries categorically failing to respond to widespread human trafficking.</p><p>Both countries have been upgraded from tier 3 in the 2015 <a href="http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/">Trafficking in Persons report</a>, the worst ranking given by State Department’s annual overview of the actions taken by countries across the world to tackle modern slavery and trafficking. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/us-human-trafficking-in-persons-report-under-fire-cuba-malaysia-upgraded">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentCubaMalaysiaHuman traffickingSlaveryUS newsMon, 27 Jul 2015 14:24:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/us-human-trafficking-in-persons-report-under-fire-cuba-malaysia-upgradedPhotograph: US Coast Guard/APCuban migrants in the waters south of Key West, Florida, in January 2015. Coast Guard officials said that the number of Cubans trying to reach Florida illegally by sea has surged since the US and Cuba announced they would restore diplomatic relations.Annie Kelly2015-07-27T14:24:55ZThese are refugees, not migrants, arriving in their thousands on Greek shores | Kirk Dayhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/refugees-not-migrants-arriving-thousands-greece-shores
<p>As Europe turns its back, the compassionate crisis response of local Greek volunteers, despite harsh austerity, puts the international community to shame</p><p>As I stood in the middle of the squalid Kara Tepe transit camp on Lesbos, I was struck by the utter perverseness of the refugee drama unfolding on this Greek island.<br tabindex="-1" /></p><p>I was supporting a flash-mob of local volunteers and tourists – supported by local officials – to clean the camp, which is now a temporary home for <a draggable="true" href="http://www.unhcr.org/559fe2ef6.html">3,000 refugees</a>. Litter was everywhere – and posing a health risk. The selflessness and dedication of the local volunteers, who have been responding to the crisis virtually unaided for several years, is awe-inspiring. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/refugees-not-migrants-arriving-thousands-greece-shores">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentRefugeesMigration and developmentGreeceMigrationHumanitarian responseEuropeMon, 27 Jul 2015 11:57:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/refugees-not-migrants-arriving-thousands-greece-shoresPhotograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty ImagesLesbos has provided a first entry point for thousands of migrants, like these waiting to disembark at Piraeus after arriving on the Greek mainland from the island.Kirk Day on Lesbos2015-07-27T11:57:49ZSebastião Salgado focuses on big picture with parable of reforestation in Brazil | John Vidalhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/sebastiao-salgado-fredrick-shoo-reforestation-brazil-tanzania
<p>At a Paris climate change meeting, the celebrated Brazilian photographer joined Bishop Fredrick Shoo of Tanzania in extolling the merits of reseeding forests</p><p>When the renowned Brazilian photographer <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/sebastiaosalgado">Sebasti&atilde;o Salgado</a> took over family land in the state of Minas Gerais, instead of the tropical paradise that he remembered as a child, he found the trees cut down and the wildlife gone. He was devastated. </p><p>It was 1994 and he had just returned from a traumatic assignment <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2004/dec/04/weekendmagazine.sebastiaosalgado">reporting</a> on the genocide in Rwanda, he told a <a href="http://www.arcworld.org/projects.asp?projectID=662">meeting of religious leaders</a> discussing climate change in Paris last week.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/sebastiao-salgado-fredrick-shoo-reforestation-brazil-tanzania">Continue reading...</a>Environmental sustainabilityGlobal developmentClimate changeSustainable developmentEnvironmentTrees and forestsMon, 27 Jul 2015 06:00:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/sebastiao-salgado-fredrick-shoo-reforestation-brazil-tanzaniaPhotograph: Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado with images from his Genesis exhibition at a gallery in Hong Kong.John Vidal2015-07-27T06:00:07ZBarack Obama makes first visit to Ethiopia by serving US presidenthttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/27/barack-obama-first-visit-ethiopia-serving-us-president
<p>President’s meeting with prime minister of Ethiopia set to focus on security and threat of Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab</p><p>Barack Obama is meeting the Ethiopian prime minister during the first visit by a serving American president to the country, a US security ally and fast-growing economy <a draggable="true" href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/22/-sp-ethiopia-30-years-famine-human-rights">but much criticised by human rights watchdogs</a>.</p><p>Obama’s talks with Hailemariam Desalegn at the national palace in Addis Ababa were expected to focus on security and the threat of the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia. The US president, who arrived from Kenya on Sunday, also wants to improve business ties with Africa.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/27/barack-obama-first-visit-ethiopia-serving-us-president">Continue reading...</a>EthiopiaBarack ObamaAfrican UnionAl-ShabaabGlobal developmentUS national securityAfricaSomaliaHuman rightsLawUS newsMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsMon, 27 Jul 2015 11:25:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/27/barack-obama-first-visit-ethiopia-serving-us-presidentPhotograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty ImagesDavid Smith and Reuters in Addis Ababa2015-07-27T11:25:51ZAbike's story: trafficked into sexual slavery in the UK, then thrown in jail – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2015/jul/25/modern-day-slavery-abike-trafficked-sexual-slavery-video
When Abike's life in Nigeria unravelled, she started afresh as a nanny in the UK only to be held prisoner by her trafficker and sold for sex. Her story is retold by Benjamin Dix of <a href="http://positivenegatives.org/">PositiveNegatives </a><br /><br /><strong>• Warning: This film has distressing scenes</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/1MM5h4X">Read the comic strip</a><br /><br />Share your graphic art of untold tales through <a href="http://bit.ly/1OC0vbq">GuardianWitness</a><br /><br /><strong>Credits</strong> Illustration: <a href="http://www.gabifroden.com/">Gabi Frödén; </a> Animation: <a href="http://bit.ly/1SFE5GP">Julia Diniz</a>; Audio: <a href="http://newmedianetworks.org/">New Media Networks</a>; Music: <a href="http://bit.ly/1IikPJJ">Kulanen Ikyo</a>; Sound: <a href="http://radioactive.org.uk/">Max Graef</a>; Abike: <a href="http://imdb.to/1g8WOyK">Susan Aderin</a>; Director: <a href="http://bit.ly/1OpUVbC">Akim Mogaji</a>; Access: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/bt863gk">Poppy Project</a> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2015/jul/25/modern-day-slavery-abike-trafficked-sexual-slavery-video">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentSlaveryNigeriaSat, 25 Jul 2015 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2015/jul/25/modern-day-slavery-abike-trafficked-sexual-slavery-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Modern Day Slavery - Abike's StoryAlex Purcell, Annie Kelly and Lucy Lamble2015-07-25T10:00:00ZGreece grapples with massive migrant influx as Syria conflict exacerbates crisis | Mark Anderson and Achilleas Galatsidashttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jul/24/greece-migrant-influx-overtakes-italy-syria-afghanistan
<p>Greece replaces Italy as principal European gateway for migrants as arrivals from Syria and Afghanistan drive 408% year-on-year increase </p><p>The number of migrants arriving on Greek shores soared by 408% over the first six months of 2015 compared with the same period last year, driven in large part by a surge in Syrians fleeing the brutal civil war in their country.</p><p>UN data shows that Greece received more boat arrivals than any other European country in the first half of 2015, with about 101,000 migrants arriving on Greek shores between 1 January and 17 July, according to the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jul/24/greece-migrant-influx-overtakes-italy-syria-afghanistan">Continue reading...</a>Migration and developmentDevelopment dataGlobal developmentGreeceSyriaAfghanistanItalyIraqSomaliaEritreaAfricaEuropeMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsMigrationFri, 24 Jul 2015 13:47:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jul/24/greece-migrant-influx-overtakes-italy-syria-afghanistanPhotograph: Yannis Kolesidis/EPASyrian refugees disembark from a dinghy on the Greek island of Kos. Greece received almost 100,000 seaborne migrants in the first six months of 2015.Photograph: Yannis Kolesidis/EPASyrian refugees disembark from a dinghy on the Greek island of Kos. Greece received almost 100,000 seaborne migrants in the first six months of 2015.Mark Anderson, Patrick Kingsley and Achilleas Galatsidas2015-07-24T13:47:42ZNigeria marks a year without polio, with hopes high for eradication from Africahttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/24/nigeria-one-year-without-polio-eradication-africa
<p>With Nigeria having reached 12-month milestone, Africa will have gone a full year without polio unless Somalia reports a case within the next month</p><p>Nigeria marked its first year without a single case of polio on Friday, reaching a milestone many experts had thought would elude it as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/23/50-dead-boko-haram-attacks-cameroon-nigeria">internal conflict</a> hampered the battle against the disease.</p><p>It means Nigeria could come off the list of countries where polio is endemic in a few weeks, once the <a href="http://www.who.int/topics/poliomyelitis/en/">World Health Organisation</a> (WHO) confirms that the last few samples taken from people in previously affected areas are free from the virus.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/24/nigeria-one-year-without-polio-eradication-africa">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentPolioHealthNigeriaWorld Health OrganisationSomaliaAfricaMiddle East and North AfricaFri, 24 Jul 2015 16:21:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/24/nigeria-one-year-without-polio-eradication-africaPhotograph: Sunday Alamba/APA health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child in Kawo Kano, Nigeria. Health experts hope for an end to polio worldwide by 2018.Reuters2015-07-24T16:21:18ZLawyers Leigh Day: troublemakers who are a thorn in the side of multinationalshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/02/leigh-day-troublemaker-fight-dispossessed-lawyers
International law firm led by self-confessedly ‘bolshie’ Martyn Day has carved out a reputation as the scourge of the corporations<p>Self-confessed “bolshie bastard” Martyn Day and his team of hotshot young lawyers at Leigh Day can congratulate themselves on having won around &pound;150m for <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/jan/21/global-injustices-getting-access-to-the-law-is-still-impossible-for-most">tens of thousands of the poorest people</a> on earth from some of the world’s richest companies.</p><p>In the past decade, they have challenged Shell, Trafigura, BP, Xstrata, Anglo American and Unilever, as well as the British and Japanese governments. In that time they have carved out a reputation for being the scourge of the corporates and a fierce upholder of human rights.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/02/leigh-day-troublemaker-fight-dispossessed-lawyers">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentLawWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 23:05:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/02/leigh-day-troublemaker-fight-dispossessed-lawyersPhotograph: /John VidalMartyn Day in Chingola, Zambia. Photograph: John VidalPhotograph: /John VidalMartyn Day in Chingola, Zambia. Photograph: John VidalJohn Vidal2015-08-01T23:05:05ZPhiladelphia police-related deaths plunge, but is reform enough?http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/philadelphia-police-related-deaths-plunge-reform
<p>With only one killing recorded this year, brutality incidents and years of mistrust still mar the city’s reputation</p><p>Last Wednesday, Devon Guisherd shot a Philadelphia Swat officer in the chest before <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#devon-guisherd-639">the officer returned fire and killed </a>the 27-year-old. Guisherd had been wanted on murder charges tied to the death of 25-year-old Megan Doto, who was struck by a stray bullet in 2014. Doto’s unborn daughter also died in the incident.</p><p>Guisherd’s death marked the first time this year a person shot by an on-duty Philadelphia police officer died as a result of their injuries. A few years ago, it would have seemed impossible that seven full months could pass before the city hit this milestone. In 2012, 15 people died after being shot by Philadelphia police, <a href="http://www.phillypolice.com/ois/">according to the department’s own records</a>. In 2013, 13 people died.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/philadelphia-police-related-deaths-plunge-reform">Continue reading...</a>PhiladelphiaUS newsUS policingSun, 02 Aug 2015 11:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/philadelphia-police-related-deaths-plunge-reformPhotograph: Matt Rourke/APPolice Commissioner Charles Ramsey attributes this dramatic reduction to better training, new policies, and a department-wide emphasis on de-escalation.Photograph: Matt Rourke/APPolice Commissioner Charles Ramsey attributes this dramatic reduction to better training, new policies, and a department-wide emphasis on de-escalation.Jamiles Lartey in Philadelphia2015-08-02T11:00:03Z‘Don’t call me a crypto-Nazi!’ The lost heart of political debatehttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/lost-heart-of-political-debate-gore-vidal-william-f-buckley-best-of-enemies
An acclaimed film on the TV clash of US intellectuals Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr marks a cultural divide – and reminds us what today’s politics lack<p>The erudition of the discourse is electrifying: two towering American intellectuals of the riven 1960s at one another like fighting cocks on primetime TV – Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr.</p><p>They are compelling – to the point that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/26/best-of-enemies-review-fascinating-documentary-gore-vidal-william-f-buckley" title=""><em>Best of Enemies</em></a>, a documentary about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy68qXMcGn8" title="">a remarkable series of debates</a> between these two on ABC television in 1968, is the surprise but deserved success of this summer’s movie festivals in the US.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/lost-heart-of-political-debate-gore-vidal-william-f-buckley-best-of-enemies">Continue reading...</a>US politicsPoliticsBest of EnemiesDocumentaryFilmUK newsUS newsGore VidalSat, 01 Aug 2015 23:05:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/02/lost-heart-of-political-debate-gore-vidal-william-f-buckley-best-of-enemiesPhotograph: Magnolia Pictures/Allstar/MAGNOLIA PICTURESWilliam F Buckley rounds on Gore Vidal during their famous 1968 TV debates. Photograph: Magnolia Pictures/Allstar/MAGNOLIA PICTURESPhotograph: Magnolia Pictures/Allstar/MAGNOLIA PICTURESWilliam F Buckley rounds on Gore Vidal during their famous 1968 TV debates. Photograph: Magnolia Pictures/Allstar/MAGNOLIA PICTURESEd Vulliamy2015-08-01T23:05:06ZA few new faces – but not many – among megadonors to presidential Super Pacshttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/donors-presidential-super-pacs
<p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/">Center for Responsive Politics:</a> the 2016 presidential race may be a whole new ballgame for fundraising, but most of the players’ names are awfully familiar</p><p>The 2016 presidential race may be a whole new ballgame in terms of fundraising, but most of the players’ names are awfully familiar – even if their faces are a bit more lined.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/republican-candidates-koch-brothers-backing-donor-retreat">Five Republican candidates to vie for Koch brothers backing at donor retreat</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/donors-presidential-super-pacs">Continue reading...</a>Super PacsUS political financingUS politicsUS political lobbyingUS elections 2016RepublicansDemocratsUS newsJeb BushMarco RubioScott WalkerMike HuckabeeTed CruzHillary ClintonRick PerryRand PaulCarly FiorinaMartin O'MalleyChris ChristieWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 15:34:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/01/donors-presidential-super-pacsPhotograph: Andrew Innerarity/ReutersRepublican presidential candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush speaks at the National Urban League’s conference in Fort Lauderdale on Friday.Bob Biersack, Viveca Novak, and Will Tucker for the Center for Responsive Politics2015-08-01T15:34:40ZAscendant Kurds emerge from Syrian civil war as major power playerhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/syria-kurds-isis-turkey-civil-war
<p>The Middle East map is being unofficially redrawn as Kurdish forces controls more of the north than Isis and Turkey is under pressure to confront realities</p><p>Early in Syria’s civil war, before the emergence of the <a draggable="true" href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/isis">Islamic State</a>, the battle lines seemed clear. A local opposition was challenging an entrenched regime for the keys to Damascus. It soon became obvious, however, that neither side could win by themselves, and both dragged in allies whose ensuing battle for a broader supremacy has torn the country apart.</p><p>The ramifications have been profound. At stake now, more than four years into the war, is far more than who gets to control Syria. The war is unlocking a regional order established almost a century ago. And two prominent forces, neither of them state actors, have emerged as power players.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/syria-kurds-isis-turkey-civil-war">Continue reading...</a>Middle East and North AfricaIslamic StateWorld newsIraqSyriaUS newsTurkeyKurdsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/syria-kurds-isis-turkey-civil-warPhotograph: Jake Simkin/APA Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighter stands in the rubble of Kobani, Syria. The Kurds of Syria and Iraq have become a major part of the war against the Islamic State group.Martin Chulov2015-08-01T10:00:08ZDeadly lightning strike in Mexico reveals plight of poorest citizenshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/deadly-lightning-mexico-government-failure
<p>Mexico has the worst lightning death rate in the Americas. Report uncovers government’s failure to implement strategies to safeguard isolated communities</p><p>It was mid-afternoon when a huge boom of thunder startled the Ram&iacute;rez family as they tended their maize crops in the tiny mountainous community of El Encinal, in Mexico’s central state of Guanajuato.<br /></p><p>The family, four adult sisters and their five children, sought shelter from the sudden torrential downpour under a squat mesquite tree – and it was there, as they covered their heads with flimsy sheets of plastic, that they were struck by lightning. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/deadly-lightning-mexico-government-failure">Continue reading...</a>MexicoWorld newsAmericasAfricaMalawiFri, 31 Jul 2015 18:43:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/deadly-lightning-mexico-government-failurePhotograph: Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty ImagesLightning kills between 6,000 and 24,000 people worldwide each year.Nina Lakhani in Mexico City2015-07-31T18:43:06ZMH370: 'conceivable but unlikely' that debris could yield many clueshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/mh370-conceivable-but-unlikely-that-debris-could-yield-many-clues
<p>Air accident experts say investigators should be able to quickly confirm that wing part came from a Boeing 777, but not much more<br></p><p>The aircraft debris found washed up on the island of R&eacute;union that appears to be the first physical evidence from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be transported to mainland France on Friday night for investigators to analyse.<br /></p><p>While the Malaysian government has already stated that the wreckage is from a Boeing 777, the first task will be to provide definitive confirmation. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/mh370-conceivable-but-unlikely-that-debris-could-yield-many-clues">Continue reading...</a>Malaysia Airlines flight MH370Plane crashesAir transportWorld newsRéunionFri, 31 Jul 2015 15:45:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/mh370-conceivable-but-unlikely-that-debris-could-yield-many-cluesPhotograph: Raymond Wae Tion/EPAPieces of debris apparently washed ashore on Réunion island being carried by officials. The wreckage will be transported to mainland France for investigators to analyse.Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent2015-07-31T15:45:17ZIsraeli government's talk is cheap on 'price tag' violencehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/israel-talk-is-cheap-price-tag-violence
<p>If perpetrators of suspected arson attack are caught it will be instructive to compare their treatment with that of Palestinians accused of stone-throwing<br></p><p>The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/child-dies-after-suspected-jewish-extremist-attack-on-palestinian-home">killing of a Palestinian infant</a> in a suspected arson attack by extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank has been swiftly condemned as an act of terror by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.<br /></p><p>This horrific act is not an isolated event, but part of a widespread campaign by extremist settlers against Palestinians and their property, and it will be instructive to compare the treatment of the perpetrators – if and when they are identified – with Palestinian youths accused of stone-throwing.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/israel-talk-is-cheap-price-tag-violence">Continue reading...</a>Palestinian territoriesIsraelWorld newsBinyamin NetanyahuUK newsFri, 31 Jul 2015 12:47:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/israel-talk-is-cheap-price-tag-violencePhotograph: Majdi Mohammed/APPalestinians carry the body of Ali Saad Dawabsha during his funeral in Duma village near Nablus. The sleeping toddler was burned to death in a fire at his home. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)Harriet Sherwood2015-07-31T12:47:12ZChina's leaders hamstring its investors as the speculative frenzy continueshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/china-stock-market-plunge-global-market-effects
<p>Short selling? Unpatriotic. IPOs? Suspended. Selling some of your own company’s stocks? Banned for six months. Global markets should brace themselves – the fallout from China’s big selloff is probably not over yet</p><p>Watching the high-stakes melodrama that has unfolded in the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/28/beijing-prop-up-china-stock-market-losses">Chinese stock market </a>over the past month is a bit like watching a giant game of chicken.<br /></p><p> On one side there are the individual investors, who are in the midst of what may be the greatest wave of panic-driven selling <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-27/demark-sees-14-china-plunge-as-stocks-mirror-1929-u-s-crash">we’ve witnessed since Black Tuesday</a>, when billions of dollars were lost in a single day of trading on the New York stock exchange. On the other side: the Chinese government. Worryingly, there’s some evidence that the rest of us are stuck in the middle.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/china-stock-market-plunge-global-market-effects">Continue reading...</a>ChinaStock marketsWorld newsUS marketsAsia PacificChinese economyThu, 30 Jul 2015 11:00:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/china-stock-market-plunge-global-market-effectsPhotograph: Rolex Dela Pena/EPAThat nosedive you see on the screen might not be the last of the Chinese stock market rollercoaster.Suzanne McGee2015-07-30T11:00:10ZHearse arrives at Bobbi Kristina Brown funeral - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/aug/01/-hearse-arrives-at-bobbi-kristina-brown-funeral-video
The hearse carrying the body of Bobbi Kristina Brown arrives for Saturday's funeral in Alpharetta, Georgia. Family and friends will gather to remember the 22-year-old in a private funeral at St. James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, north of Atlanta. Bobbi Kristina died in hospice care on July 26, about six months after she was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhouse <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/aug/01/-hearse-arrives-at-bobbi-kristina-brown-funeral-video">Continue reading...</a>GeorgiaUS newsWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 15:32:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/aug/01/-hearse-arrives-at-bobbi-kristina-brown-funeral-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Hearse arrives at Bobbi Kristina Brown funeral - videoGuardian Staff2015-08-01T15:32:21ZHundreds of Palestinians turn out for West Bank funeral - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/hundreds-palestinians-turn-out-west-bank-funeral-video
Hundreds of Palestinians participate in the funeral of a Palestinian youth who died on Saturday after clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank. The Israeli military said soldiers fired at 17 year-old Laith Fadel al-Khaladi after he threw a fire-bomb at them. Two other Palestinians have been killed in the tension since a fatal arson attack on Thursday night which killed an 18-month baby <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/hundreds-palestinians-turn-out-west-bank-funeral-video">Continue reading...</a>IsraelMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsPalestinian territoriesSat, 01 Aug 2015 13:20:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/hundreds-palestinians-turn-out-west-bank-funeral-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Hundreds of Palestinians turn out for West Bank funeral - videoGuardian Staff2015-08-01T13:20:32ZMH370: Malaysian transport minister says flaperon not yet identified - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/mh370-malaysian-transport-minister-flaperon-not-been-identified-yet-video
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai tells reporters on Saturday not to speculate on whether the flaperon found on the island of Reunion is from missing flight MH370 as it has not been identified yet. Lai says a Malaysian team will be working closely with investigators in France to verify the identity of the wreckage. He says a second team has been dispatched to Reunion Island to look for more debris or signs of Flight MH370 <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/mh370-malaysian-transport-minister-flaperon-not-been-identified-yet-video">Continue reading...</a>Plane crashesAir transportMalaysiaAsia PacificRéunionEuropeMalaysia Airlines flight MH370FranceWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 10:03:58 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/mh370-malaysian-transport-minister-flaperon-not-been-identified-yet-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for MH370: Malaysian transport minister says flaperon has not been identified yet - videoGuardian Staff2015-08-01T10:03:58ZVolcano erupts on Indian Ocean island of Reunion - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/volcano-erupts-indian-ocean-island-reunion-video
The Piton de la Fournaise volcano erupts on the remote Indian Ocean island of Reunion on Friday. The government of the island imposed a ban on access to the volcano, which is a World Heritage Site and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Reunion is where wreckage suspected to be part of the plane from missing Malaysian flight MH370 was found on Wednesday <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/volcano-erupts-indian-ocean-island-reunion-video">Continue reading...</a>VolcanoesRéunionAfricaWorld newsSat, 01 Aug 2015 09:19:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/aug/01/volcano-erupts-indian-ocean-island-reunion-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Volcano erupts on Indian Ocean island of Reunion - videoGuardian Staff2015-08-01T09:19:45Z